STAR WARS - Splinter Of The Mind's Eye - 2017 Special Edition
by Rob Astor
Summary: Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia crash land on the jungle planet Mimban. Soon, they find themselves on a quest to recover a mysterious crystal that magnifies the power of the Force. Captured by an Imperial Officer and learning the Empire is mining a valuable metal from the planet sets them in a race against time to recover the gemstone before it falls into the hands of Darth Vader.
1. Title - Notice - Author's Note

**SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE**

 **2017 Special Edition**

 **By**

 **Rob Astor**

Adapted from the 1978 novel by Alan Dean Foster and the 1995 Dark Horse Comics adaptation scripted by Terry Austin with additional sequences written by Rob Astor.

 **** NOTICE ****

I do not claim any rights to the characters or to the ownership of the 1978 novel or 1995 comics adaptation. I didn't write this for profit. No money is being made. And, most importantly, no copyright infringement is intended. This version of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" is just a Star Wars fan's re-imagining of a classic.

 **Note From Rob Astor**

"Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" has remained a favorite story since first reading it. Over the years, it's been read many times.

In 1995, the Dark Horse comic adaptation further solidified "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" as a favorite. Many were the times this reader longed to see it in movie form. The comic version was the next best thing.

More recently, the more I read it, the more the original bugged my inner editor. (I've been writing for thirty-five years.)

Alan Dean Forster was hired to write "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" as a follow-up to the original 1977 "Star Wars" film if it warranted a sequel, and if "Star Wars" had not done well at the box office.

The inner editor I mentioned kept going off as parts of his novel repeated themselves, or went through a lot of exposition. Some scenes lacked better development. In many ways, the "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" I so loved felt more and more like a movie treatment than a completed novel.

So, this writer thought he could do "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" better by completely re-writing it.

For four months, I've immersed myself in "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" in a very intimate way, something I've never done with a fan fiction before. I wanted to improve upon things I thought could be fixed, to bring "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" up to modern standards. Or at least into something meeting with my standards.

The first thing accomplished was bringing the comic version and original novel in line with one another by carefully stitching together the additional scenes offered up in Terry Austin's script. Spots that seemed to hamper the flow were adjusted with some editing. The addition of Darth Vader's sequences from the comic inspired more scenes for him written by me.

Next, a little research revealed there was supposed to be more to "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye". An opening space battle, for example.

Now, I have no way of ever knowing what the opening sequences were supposed to be like. George Lucas had Alan remove them because he wanted a story that, as a film, could be done with a much smaller budget than "Star Wars" had.

However, "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" spoke to my imagination and my creativity ran wild with the idea of how a space battle and missing characters - Han and Chewbacca weren't included - might play a part in an updated narrative.

Going back to 1977, you have to understand Harrison Ford was not contracted for three "Star Wars" movies. He was brought on each film with no guarantee of coming back for the next. In fact, he wanted his character to die frozen in carbonite in "The Empire Strikes Back", and then again die during the battle of Endor in "Return Of The Jedi".

"Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" was written to reflect Harrison's non-contractual status. With no Han and Chewbacca in "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye", many fans over the years felt that was something of a disappointment, or that the story suffered.

"Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" was the very first "expanded universe" novel published under the heading of "from the further adventures of Luke Skywalker". Not long after its publication, Han Solo fans were given a trilogy of stories beginning with "Han Solo At Star's End". No one seemed to complain Luke and Princess Leia were missing.

At any rate, the creative side of me wanted to insert scenes into "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" featuring Han and Chewbacca. I also wanted to do a space battle.

So inspired, I began writing. And rewriting. Playing with and improving upon ideas. The characters in "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" already lent themselves to act in certain ways. This made it very easy to expound on their individual plots and characteristics. The ideas written into the comic version of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" opened the path to a space battle.

While recreating this universe, I explored every single person, including those I created myself, and brought them to a canvas bursting with ideas. Writing the dialog for Star Wars' original characters came from listening to how they all talked in the first three movies. In fact, you'll find there are borrowed lines scattered throughout. Things I would like to have seen or have explained from the original version, I went ahead and filled in.

What you are reading now is my finished version of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" - completely transformed. It's fresh, faster paced, suspenseful, and very much like a tale I would have expected a final draft to look like had George Lucas himself polished it way back when. I don't think I left a single sentence untouched from the original version.

Proudly, I present my vision of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" - complete with a Han Solo and Chewbacca plot and a space battle.

I hope you enjoy reading "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" as much as I did writing it.

Rob Astor

May 1, 2017


	2. Chapter 1

**I**

A pair of ships jumped out of hyperspace with a sudden lurch, flying in formation toward the pulsing sun of Circarpous Major. The lead ship was an X-wing class snub fighter. The second was a Y-wing, both models employed almost exclusively by the Rebel Alliance.

"Everything okay back there, Artoo?" Luke Skywalker called into his communicator. A cheerful beep from the stubby 'droid locked in position behind the cockpit assured Luke it was.

They passed close to Circarpous V, a vast, cloud-shrouded globe. The planet was listed in Luke's library as being mostly unexplored, save for a single Imperial scouting expedition. According to his computer readout, the Circarpousians also knew the planet as Mimban.

Luke's intership communicator dinged for attention. "I'm receiving you, Princess."

Princess Leia Organa, former Senator of the now obliterated world of Alderaan, piloted the Y-wing craft. "My port engine is generating unequal radiation pulses."

Even when bothered, to Luke, Leia's voice was as naturally sweet and pleasing as sugar-laden fruit. "How bad?" he inquired with a frown.

"Bad enough, Luke." The words sounded strained. "I'm losing control. I don't think I'm going to be able to compensate. We'll have to stop at the first base on Mimban and have the problem corrected."

"You can't make it to Circarpous IV?"

"Not at this rate. It's imperative I make our meeting. This system is vital to the Rebellion, Luke. Resistance groups from all over the Circarpous system are going to be there. If I don't arrive, we'll have one _stang_ of a time getting them to surface again."

Luke hurriedly began a check of visual readout charts and records. "There's nothing in the listings about Mimban on either Imperial or Alliance tapes, Leia. In fact," he added with a glance at the murky green-white sphere, "Mimban might not even have an repair station at all."

"It doesn't matter, Luke. I have to make the conference. I'm going down while I still have some real control. Surely, in a system as populous as this one, any world with a breathable atmosphere's going to be equipped with facilities for emergency repair. Your data must be old or else you're searching the wrong tapes." A pause, then, "You can prove it by shifting your communicator monitor to frequency oh-four-six-one."

Luke adjusted the requisite controls. Instantly a steady beeping filled the small cabin.

"Sound familiar?" she asked him.

"That's a directional landing beacon, all right," he replied.

A puff of yellow-orange gas flashed brightly from the Princess'

Y-wing, expanded, and vanished. "Leia!"

Her small ship was curving away from him. "Lost lateral controls completely, Luke! I've got to go down!"

Luke rushed to match her glide path. "Try to shift power!"

"I'm doing the best I can. Stop moving around, Threepio, and watch your ventral manipulators!"

A contrite, metallic, "Sorry, Princess Leia," sounded from her cabin companion, the bronzed human-cyborg relations 'droid See-Threepio. "What if Master Luke is correct and there is no station? We'll be marooned forever on this empty world, without companionship. Without knowledge tapes. Without… without lubricants!"

"You heard the beacon, didn't you?"

Luke saw a small explosion. "Leia!" The Y-wing dove surface-ward at an abruptly sharper angle. "Leia!" Only static answered his frantic calls.

Then the interference cleared. "Close, Luke. I lost my starboard dorsal engine completely. I cut port dorsal ninety percent to balance guidance systems."

"I've cut power to slow down with you."

In the Y-wing's cabin Threepio sighed and gripped the walls around him firmly. "Try to set us down gently, please, mistress Leia. Rough landings do terrible things to my internal gyros."

"They're not so good on my insides either," the Princess shot back, lips clenched tightly as she fought the sluggish controls. "Besides, you've got nothing to worry about. 'Droids can't get space sick."

Threepio could have argued otherwise, but remained silent as the

Y-wing commenced a stomach-turning roll downward.

Luke followed rapidly. There was one positive sign: the beacon signal was not imaginary. It was there. But he didn't feel confident. "Artoo, activate the tracker. Let me know if you spot anything unusual on our way down. Keep all your sensory plug-ins on full power." A reassuring whistle filled the cockpit.

They were at two hundred kilometers and descending when Luke jumped in his seat. _Something pushing at my mind_ , Luke's thoughts spun. _A stirring in the Force emanating from below. Got to relax, the way Obi-Wan taught me_.

Luke's sensitivity was far from perfectly attuned. He sincerely doubted he would ever attain half the command of the Force Kenobi had possessed, though the old man expressed great confidence in Luke's potential. Still, he knew enough to categorize that subtle tingling. It sparked an almost palpable feeling of unease in him, and it came from something - or several somethings - on the surface below. He couldn't do anything about it now. The only concern of the moment was hoping the Princess' ship would set down safely.

The sooner they left Mimban, the better he'd feel.

Despite her own problems, the Princess took time to relay coordinate information to Luke. He tried to identify something he'd spotted below as they entered the outer atmosphere.

"Luke! There's something up ahead. The sky -"

Entering Mimban's troposphere, the immediate reaction of both ships to the thicker air mass verses the vacuum was anything but normal. They plunged into an ocean of liquid electricity. Gigantic multicolored bolts of energy erupted from empty air, contacted the hulls of the two ships, and fomented instrumental chaos where order had reigned seconds before. Instead of the blue-tinged canopy Luke expected to sail through, the atmosphere around them was drenched with bizarre, perambulating energies so wild and frenzied they bordered on the animate. Behind Luke, Artoo-Detoo beeped nervously.

Luke's instruments flaunted a farrago of electronic nonsense. The madly bucking X-wing was held in the grip of unidentified forces powerful enough to toss it about like a plaything.

Tense moments later, the chromatic storm vanished behind him as if he'd suddenly emerged from a waterspout, but his controls exhibited what were probably permanent manifestations of the electronically addled.

A quick survey revealed what he most feared: the Princess' fighter was nowhere in sight. "I've lost the Princess. Artoo, I know the tracker isn't functioning now, but it should show us Leia's precise course before the anomaly knocked out our systems. It'll take us in at an exact pursuit course, and if we're lucky, we won't land on the opposite side of the planet from her and Threepio." _If we're lucky enough to land in one piece_.

Trying to control his drunken ship with one hand on the manual controls, Luke activated the communicator with the other.

"Leia! Leia, where are you?"

"No control, Luke," came her static-sprinkled reply. He could barely make out the words. "- trying to - down in one piece -"

"Leia?" Luke flipped the switch. "Leia?"

Gone, no matter how frantically Luke cajoled the communicator. His attention was diverted as something in one overhead panel blew out in a shower of sparks and metal fragments. Dense clouds enveloped the ship. There were flashes of light, the rumble of thunder, and water droplets pelting the cockpit windows. Artoo whistled.

"Clouds are obscuring my vision - sheets of rain, lightning - better activate repulsors before we locate the ground the hard way." A series of beeps reached Luke's ears. "I'm switching off engines. We're going in on a full glide." _Just like in my old Skyhopper back home!_

Swerving, the fighter dropped. As the lush surface of Mimban rushed up at him, Luke caught rolling, twisting glimpses of mountainless green swaths interwoven with veins and arteries of muddy brown and blue.

Though he was utterly ignorant of Mimbanian topography, the green and blue-brown of rivers and streams and vegetation seemed infinitely preferable as landing sites to the endless cerulean of open sea or the gray spires of young mountains. Luke was starting to believe they might actually survive touchdown.

The tracker screen showed the Y-wing still on the course Luke plotted. His chances of setting down close to Leia's ship were looking better.

Despite the demands on his mind, Luke couldn't help but consider the energy distortions that ruined their instrumentation. The fact that the rainbow maelstrom was confined to one area - an area very close to the location of the landing beacon - raised questions as intriguing as they were disturbing.

Luke's ship plunged recklessly into the thick floor of dirty gray cumulo-nimbus clouds. Rambling flashes crackled as he broke out of the bottom layer. The air was thick with rain, but not so bad he failed to make out the terrain below. Altitude was running out fast. He barely had enough time to pull back on the atmospheric controls before something jolted the fighter from below. That was followed instantly by a series of similar cracklings as he clipped off the crowns of the tallest trees.

Artoo whistled erratically. Eyeballing his airspeed indicator, Luke said, "I know, Artoo. I'm firing the braking rockets." He nudged the ship's nose down ever so gently. Violent jolts shook him despite his flight harness. A green floral wave of branches crested ahead. There was a loud crack and a violent stop punctuated with the groaning of metal. Then darkness.

Luke blinked. Ahead, the shattered foreport of the fighter framed jungle with crystal geometry. All was quiet. As Luke tried to lean forward, water caressed his face. That helped to clear his mind and bring the scenery into sharp focus.

Craning his neck, Luke noted the metal overhead was neatly peeled back by a thick cracked limb of an enormous tree. If by chance the fighter had slid in slightly higher, Luke's skull would have been cleaved off just as neatly. A bit more to port and the broad bole of the tree would have smashed him back into the power plant. He had escaped decapitation and fatal compression by a meter either way.

 _The ship's just a bunch of scrap metal now. It'll certainly never fly again. Got to get out of here. Got to locate Leia and Threepio._

Undoing the g-locks, Luke slipped free of the harness. Even moving slowly and carefully, he felt as if every muscle in his body had been grabbed and pulled from opposite ends to the near-breaking point.

Turning to his left, Luke keyed the exit panel. It failed to respond. He threw the double switch on the manual release and jabbed the emergency stud. Explosive bolts fired. The cockpit hood lifted. Luke recovered his pistol. A querulous beep reached him. "Artoo…"

Artoo's curved metallic hood looked down at him, the single electronic eye studying Luke as the squat 'droid wiggled anxiously. "Yes, I'm okay. I think."

Using Artoo's center leg as a brace, Luke pulled himself up and out. Clearing his legs, he got to his feet and stood on top of the grounded

X-wing. He rested his back against the curve of the great, overhanging branch.

A mournful whistle sounded. Luke glanced down at Artoo clinging securely to the metal hull nearby. "I don't know what you're saying, Artoo, without Threepio to translate for me. But I can guess." His gaze turned outward. "I don't know where he and the Princess are. I'm not even sure where we are."

Slowly, Luke took stock of the surface of Mimban. Dense growth rose all around, clumped in large pockets rather than presenting a continuous front of jungle foliage. There was ample open space. Mimban, or at least the section where he'd come down, was part swamp, part jungle, and part bog.

Fluid mud filled most of a languid stream to the right of the ship. It meandered in slow motion. To Luke's left the trunk of the enormous tree towered into the mist. Beyond lay a tangle of other tall growths fringed with bushes and tired, drooping ferns. Gray-brown ground bordered it. There was no way to tell from a distance how solid the surface was. Bracing himself with a hand on a small branch, Luke leaned over the side of the ship. The X-wing appeared to be resting on similar terrain. It wasn't sinking. This was some comfort to Luke, since without a ship he was a rotten flier.

Smiling slightly to himself, Luke crouched and peered under the limb. The double wing on the port side of the ship had been cleanly snapped off somewhere back in the forest, leaving only twin metal stubs. Both engines on that side were also missing. Unequivocally, Luke was grounded.

Crawling back into the ruined cockpit, Luke unlocked the seat and shifted it to one side. He rummaged behind it for emergency rations, his father's lightsaber - which he clipped to his belt - and a thermal suit; the last because, despite the tropic appearance of some of the vegetation, it was decidedly cool outside.

A survival backpack was strapped to the backside of the seat. Unbuckling it, Luke filled its copious interior with supplies from the compartment.

When the sack was stuffed, Luke sat on the edge of the seat. He picked up the handheld tracomp. Preliminary observation revealed no sign of the Princess' Y-wing. Yet in the damp, foggy air it could have touched down ten meters away and still be effectively invisible. She probably landed or crashed slightly ahead of him. Lacking any other information, Luke had no choice but to continue on foot.

Pulling himself clear of the cockpit, Luke used branches for balance as he climbed down to the broken stub of the port double wing. He lowered himself carefully to the ground. It was soft, almost springy. Pulling up one foot, the boot sole was already coated with sticky gray gook that resembled wet modeling clay. But the ground held, supporting him. Artoo joined a moment later.

Using the nose of the ship as a crude guide, Luke set the tracomp and they started off, leaving the wreckage of the X-wing behind, angling a few degrees to starboard. Luke had only one chance of finding the Princess' ship. If it didn't lie close along the path he took, if he missed it and passed, he could trod the surface of Mimban for a thousand years without seeing her again.

"If the original plotting tape was accurate and Leia didn't alter her course of descent at the last moment, the tracomp ought to lead us to them."

Luke now directed all his attention to keeping to his predetermined path. He knew he could easily lose his way. A deviation of a tenth of a degree could be critical.

Luke mounted a slight rise. Through the fog and mist he glimpsed monolithic gray structures. _Those queer battlements off in the distance… There's something about them. I don't think human hands raised those walls._ Their uniform steel-gray color made them look as if they'd been constructed from giant slabs of rock. Luke couldn't be sure this far away whether their color was true or distorted by the shifting fog. Soaring gray towers were inlaid with black stone or metal and boasted misshapen domes.

He paused, tempted to change direction and explore. However, the Princess waited not in that eldritch city but somewhere further on, in an environment that at any moment might prove hostile.

Luke saw a stirring in a clump of rust-green bushes ahead. Straining every sense, he dropped to one knee and removed the lightsaber from its place at his waist. The vegetation rustled violently. His thumb slid over the activation stud. Artoo beeped nervously alongside. "Stay back, Artoo. Something's coming through the brush."

Abruptly, the greenery ahead parted. Out walked a Mimbanite. It was a large dark brown ball of fur roughly a meter in diameter with patches and stripes of green covering its body. Four short furry legs supported it; ending in thick, double digits. Four arms poked clear of the upper surface. The modest tail was naked.

Two wide eyes peering out from the bristly fur were all that showed of a face. They grew wider as they settled on Luke and Artoo-Detoo.

Luke waited tensely, finger poised over the lightsaber switch.

The creature did not charge. Instead, it produced a startled, muffled squeal and whirled. With all eight limbs propelling it, the creature shot back into the protective brush.

Luke rose. His finger slid clear of the saber stud and he reattached the weapon to his belt, smiling.

His first confrontation with an inhabitant of this world sent it fleeing in terror from him. Maybe the wildlife hereabouts, if not actually benign, was something less than dangerous. With that in mind he continued on, his stride a bit longer, a touch more self-assured. His posture was straighter and his spirits considerably higher, raised by the stoutest of buoys. False confidence.


	3. Chapter 2

**II**

Leia Organa made a half-hearted try at adjusting her rain-slicked double-bun hairdo then gave up in disgust. She peered into the lush growth surrounding her.

After losing all contact with Luke, she'd managed a hard landing in this wet hell. A quick examination of her ship indicated Leia no longer had to worry about the malfunctioning port engine. It was now a crumpled oblong metal shape incapable of propelling itself or anything else across so much as a light second. The rest of the Y-wing was in little better shape. _I'm going to be late for the conference on Circarpous IV_.

"Pardon me, Princess," said the metal form behind her. "Do you think Artoo and Master Luke set down safely in this awful place?"

"Of course they did. Luke's the best pilot we've got. If I made it down, I'm certain he had no trouble."

That was a slight lie. _What if Luke's injured and unable to move?_ Leia shivered. _Better not think about it_. The vision of a twisted, broken Luke, bleeding to death in the cockpit of his X-wing, made her insides spin tightly.

Standing near the roof of the cockpit, Leia's nose wrinkled at the rankness of dripping morass encircling them. Plenty of noise assailed her from hidden things moving stealthily through the undergrowth. Nothing larger than a couple of brightly hued quasi-insects had shown themselves thus far. The Princess' pistol was comfortably in her grip. Not that she'd need it. She could secure herself in the cockpit by sliding the roof panel and locking it in seconds. She was perfectly safe.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place, Princess Leia," Threepio said. "I don't like it at all."

"Relax. There can't be anything out there," she nodded toward the densest growth, "that would find you digestible."

A shrill, hooting cry sounded a sick trumpet close on her left. She jerked around sharply, sucking in a startled breath. She couldn't see anything.

Leia squinted to penetrate the green-brown wall of vegetation with anxious eyes. "Have you scanned anything, Threepio?"

"No, Princess. Nothing larger than a few small arthropods, and that includes infrared. But that doesn't mean something large and hostile in intent couldn't be lurking about."

Leia huffed softly. A simple noise unnerved her. Probably only the forlorn cry of some harmless herbivore and she'd panicked.

Aahhh-wooop!

Again the trumpeting sound. Whatever produced it had not left after all. If anything, the sharp hooting sounded closer. This time her hand tightened around the pistol. "Princess Leia," Threepio shook, "that hideous shriek. It's a hunger-crazed Endorian yayax at the very least. Slay it before it ingests me whole!"

There was a loud crashing off to the right this time. Swinging around, Leia fired off a burst into the wet vegetation.

"Leia! Don't shoot! It's Luke!" a voice shouted, sounding more than a little shaky. "It's me and Artoo."

"Artoo-Detoo!" Threepio clambered to the edge of the ship to greet his squat counterpart. "It's good to…" Threepio paused, then continued in a different tone. "What do you think you're doing, making me wait like this? When I think of the anguish you've caused me…"

"Luke, are you all right?" Leia asked.

He climbed up the damaged side of the fighter and sat down next to the open cockpit. "Yes. I touched down behind you. I was afraid Artoo and I might miss you completely in this wilderness."

Leia looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "I apologize, Luke. I made a mistake landing here." She looked into the jungle. "I managed to plot the location of that homing beacon before my instruments went out completely." She pointed slightly behind them and to her left. "It's back that way. Once we reach the station we can locate whoever's in charge and arrange for passage to Circarpous IV."

"If there's a station and if it's not fully automated."

"That possibility occurred to me," she confessed. "I don't know what else we can do."

"Agreed," said Luke with a slow sigh. "We've got nothing to gain by sitting here. We can get eaten just as quickly on the trail."

"You encountered carnivorous life forms?"

"No, hardly any life at all, actually. The only animal of any size we confronted," Luke went on with a slight grin, "took one look at us and ran off like a spooked Bantha. Let's get started while it's still light."

The Princess stood on the nose of the fighter. "Hand me my survival gear, would you?"

Luke lifted the burgeoning pack. "Too heavy?" he asked.

She slid it onto her back, slipped both arms through the straps, and adjusted the weight before tightening them. "The burden of public office was a lot heavier," she shot back. "Let's get moving."

Leia dropped to the ground, took two steps in the direction of the distant beacon, and began to sink. "Uh, Luke? Threepio?"

"Master Luke, either the Princess is shrinking or the planet itself has decided to eat her!"

Edging carefully over to front of the Y-wing, Luke grabbed a large branch. Leia was already up to her knees in gray muck. Trying to anchor himself with his left hand, Luke reached out with the stick in his right. "Lean toward me. Artoo, lock onto the ship. Threepio, give me your hand. You 'droids hold tight or I'll fall in with her."

"Don't worry, sir," Threepio assured him, "we know what to do!" Artoo added a whistle.

Leia stretched, generating squelching sounds from the bog. Her hand flailed for the stick. She was up to her waist now. Her fingers locked around the pole and were quickly joined by her other hand.

Luke wrapped both hands around his end of the stick and leaned back. His feet slid and scraped on the smooth metal. Having secured a firm grip on her, the earth was reluctant to yield its prize. Every muscle in Luke's body taut, he struggled to heave and to conjure the Force simultaneously. He tried to put all of his weight behind his arms, behind his pull.

A tired sucking noise sounded. The Princess lurched forward. Luke allowed his exhausted arms a brief respite and hyperventilated while he had the chance. He took a deep breath, leaned back and struggled with every ounce of energy he had. One last heave pulled her the rest of the way clear. Reaching down, Luke gave her a hand up. They sat on the edge of the ship's nose.

Covered from the ribs down in a packing of green-gray mud and pieces of what looked like dried straw, the Princess appeared decidedly un-regal. She pushed futilely at the mud. "Now then… Won't I just be the perfect representative to the conference of the Circarpousian underground? The only way they'll join the Rebel Alliance now is if they have an overabundance of scrub brushes to unload."

"You'll do fine, Princess. If anyone can talk the Circarpousians into uniting with us against the Empire, you can."

She smiled softly. "Thanks for the pep talk. But right now I feel more like one of the mud men of Roon than a politician."

* * *

Frequently as they hiked, they paused to match up pointer alignments on their tracomps to insure they were still marching toward the beacon site. "Even if it's an automatic station," Luke remarked, "somebody put it down here. Somebody has to maintain it. I saw some pretty big ruins near the place Artoo and I set down. The beacon could be a xeno-archeological research post."

"That's possible. It would also explain why the beacon's not listed. A small scientific outpost could be temporary."

"And recent," Luke added, excited by the plausibility of his own supposition. Just talking about it made them both feel better. "If that's the case, then an automated station used on occasion ought to contain an emergency shelter and survival provisions. Heck, there might be a subspace planetary relay for contacting Circarpous IV when a scientific team operates here."

"I'd settle for arriving in a medical cocoon."

Another question entered Luke's mind. "I still wonder about that enormous volume of free energy we passed through that killed our instruments. Bolts jumping from sky to ship and back again. I've never seen anything like it."

"Nor have I, sir," commented Threepio. "I thought I might well go mad."

"I've never even read of a natural phenomenon like it," admitted the Princess thoughtfully. "Several colonized gas giants have bigger storms but never with so much color. And big thunderheads are always involved. We were above the thick cloud layer when it happened. Still," she hesitated, "the whole thing seemed almost familiar somehow." Artoo beeped his agreement.

"You'd think whoever established the homing beacon would include a message in the transmission warning ships away from danger."

"Yes," the Princess agreed. "Hard to imagine anyone being that negligent. It's almost criminal."

* * *

There was no night as dark as a Mimban night filled with fog. Luke and the Princess made a bed for themselves between the parted roots of a great tree. While Leia started a fire, Luke and the 'droids constructed a rain shelter by stretching the two survival capes between massive roots. They huddled together for warmth under a thin blanket and watched the night try to slip around the edges of the fire. It crackled reassuringly despite the mist and the night sounds chorusing around them. They were no different from day sounds, but anything that wore the cloak of night, especially on an alien world, partook of the night's mystery and terror.

"Don't worry, sir," said Threepio. "Artoo and I will keep watch while you sleep. There' not a creature alive with the bad taste to devour Artoo." Artoo gave a derisive beep. "Very funny," Threepio admonished his companion. "I hope one of the local carnivores chokes on you and breaks every one of your external sensors." Artoo whistled back.

* * *

Luke woke first. He nudged Leia gently once. Twice. With the third nudge, she sat straight up, eyes wide. She turned sharply to stare at him. "Sorry. I thought I was someplace else." She rummaged through her survival pack. Luke did the same with his.

Threepio offered a cheery, "Good morning, Master Luke. Mistress Leia."

While the cloud-masked sun rose somewhere behind them warming the mists slightly, they shared a meager breakfast of emergency cube concentrates. "Whoever created these," Leia grimaced in distaste, biting off a small piece of a pink square, "must have been part machine. They didn't program anything like taste or flavor into them."

Luke tried not to let the awful tang he was experiencing show. "They're designed to keep you alive, not to taste good."

"Want another one?" She extended a blue square with the consistency of dead sponge.

Luke eyed it and half-smiled. "Not right away. I'm kind of full."

Leia nodded knowingly, then smiled. Luke grinned back at her.

* * *

Drifting between the vast distances separating the stars in some secluded corner of the galaxy, an armada of frigates, transports, Corellian vessels, and Mon Calamari cruisers and capital ships formed the bulk of the Rebel Fleet. Aboard the largest, the supreme leader of the Rebellion stood at the perimeter of a circular map displaying positions of other ships in nearby systems. She wore white robes and had short cropped red hair. Her skin was almost as porcelain in color as her clothing.

A soldier approached from the opposite side of the map. "Excuse me, ma'am. We're receiving a coded transmission for you from Circarpous IV."

"Very well." She followed the rebel to a holographic projector and touched a button. The transparent image of a tall, thin man with graying hair, a thick mustache, and dark eyes dressed in a long ceremonial coat greeted her with a stern expression. "This is Mon Mothma of the Rebel Alliance," she said.

"Senator, it is truly an honor to speak to you," he said. "My name is Dillinger Du'Tarc, attaché to Telladeous V'Litizer, Prime Minister of Circarpous IV. I'm contacting you on behalf of the underground movement. The conferences have begun, however, I've been informed that Senator Leia Organa and her escort have not yet arrived."

"Are you certain?"

"Quite. In fact, there are members of this conference who are very nervous to say the least. Many of them were hoping Senator Organa would bolster confidence levels and morale in order to sway the Circarpous system to join your cause."

"This is troubling news, indeed," Mon Mothma said. She lowered her head, taking a moment to think. Then she raised her chin and faced him with a deep breath. "Mr. Du'Tarc, please try to convince the conference members to remain gathered on Circarpous IV until I come up with an alternate plan."

"I will do my best, Senator," Dillinger said. The hologram faded. Mon Mothma turned away from the projector.

* * *

"We should be getting close to the beacon," Leia said around nightfall. A long wall of trees and lesser growth lay ahead. They plunged into it without hesitating.

"Pardon me, sir."

Luke looked slightly ahead and to his right. Both robots had paused. See-Threepio was leaning against something. "What is it, Threepio?"

"I thought it might be worth mentioning that this isn't a tree I'm pressing against. It's metal. There is a possibility -" A loud beep cut him off. He looked down at Artoo. "Talk too much? What do you mean I talk too much, you factory second!"

"Metal?" The Princess walked over to the robots. "It is metal!" She looked at Luke as he made his way through the brush.

Luke pulled away vines and branches and placed his right palm on the smooth cold surface. "Artoo, see if you can clear some of this undergrowth away."

Beeping, a panel opened in the front of Artoo's rounded shell and a small pistol-shaped device clicked into place. A brilliant blue flame burned a path through jungle. Luke, Leia, and Threepio clear brush away, revealing pits and areas with rust trails left from dripping water.

"It's a wall," Luke said as he and Leia walked parallel to the forest-scarred metal surface.

Threepio turned and his arms snapped out wide. "Oh dear. Not that I expect gratitude, but I hardly thought I'd be abandoned for my efforts. Wait for me, Master Luke. Princess. Artoo!"

"The wall ends here," Luke said. They emerged from trees onto a modestly cleared roadway. It led into a street paved with packed clay-earth. Buildings lined both sides of the glorified alley, marching resolutely into the swirling fogs. Warm yellow glows shone from lights hidden behind tightly sealed windows, illuminating and outlining raised metal sidewalks canopied against the mist and rain.

"Thank the Force," the Princess murmured.

"Oh, Artoo, lubricants at last."

"First," Luke began, "we find a place to get cleaned up. Then a proper restaurant." He took a step forward. A hand caught his shoulder and held him back.

"Wait, Luke."

He eyed Leia curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Think," she urged him softly. "This is more than a simple homing beacon site. Much more." Cautiously, she leaned around the corner of the metal wall and peered down the street. Figures strolled along the metal walkways now. Others crossed the mist-slicked street. "It's too substantial for a scientific post, too."

Luke turned his attention to the shrouded streets, took in the figures, and the crude shape of the structures. "You're right. It's a large installation. Maybe a company from Circarpous IV?"

"Master Luke, we're saved!" Threepio announced. "Someone is approaching. Hello good friends -"

Leia placed her palm over Threepio's mouth. "Be quiet." Then she said to Luke, "Look there."

Two figures were swaying down the center of the street. They wore armor instead of loose clothing. Formed armor of white and black. Armor all too familiar to them.

Both men carried their helmets. One dropped his and bent to retrieve it, kicking it accidentally up the street. " _Stang_ ," he cursed.

"Clumsy," his companion chided.

The Imperial picked up his helmet and the pair continued meandering.

Luke's eyes were as wide as Leia's. "Imperial Stormtroopers. They must be here without the Circarpousians' knowledge or we'd have heard about it from their underground."

The Princess nodded. "When the Circarpousians find out, they'll quit the Empire faster than a bureaucrat can recite regulations!"

"And who's gonna inform them about this violation?" Luke asked. "Us?"

"We have two reasons to need help now, Luke."

"Shhh," he whispered. They drew back further into the mist. A large cluster of men and women rounded the near corner. They chatted and laughed amongst themselves, crossing wrists at times. It wasn't their inaudible conversation that intrigued Luke and Leia. They wore unusual clothing. Coveralls of some reflective black material tucked into high boots.

The coveralls rose to end in a hood to fit over the wearer's head. Some members of the group had their hoods up. Others wore them folded flat against their upper backs. Various types of handheld equipment Luke didn't recognize hung and swayed from wide belts as they walked along, chuckling and drinking from glass bottles.

The Princess knew what these people were. "Miners." She watched the group move off down the metal walkway. "They're wearing mining suits. The Empire's digging something valuable out of this planet and it doesn't want the Circarpousians to know."

"How can you be sure?" Luke inquired.

"They'd have their own installation here and no troops." The Princess sounded positive. "The Empire obviously doesn't want anyone to know about this." Artoo whistled soft agreement.

The air was suddenly filled with a distant, violent howling. The ground trembled like a herd of dewbacks trampling along just beneath the surface. "Oh dear, were done for," Threepio fretted. "They've set Simoomian sensory hounds on our trail."

"I know that sound!" Realization transformed the Princess' expression. "The Empire is energy mining here," she explained breathlessly to Luke. "And using some big generators judging by the racket. That explains the atmospheric disturbance scrambling our instruments. A ship has to be specially insulated to pass through an area where an energy drill is operating. Byproduct excess charges are shunted away skyward."

"But the fallout… If Mimban supports a native race, that kind of mining is illegal."

"Since when did legal niceties matter to the Empire?"

"Point taken. But right now my stomach is reminding me of more immediate concerns. Emergency concentrates can only keep you going so long without some protein to work with."

"Sir, might I suggest a change of attire? You're both well known to Imperial enforcement officials and will surely be taken into custody on sight."

Luke studied Leia's pilot suit, then his own. "Threepio's right. We can't go strolling around town in these. We'll need a change of clothing."

"You mean steal?" The Princess drew herself up. "If you think for a minute that a former Princess of the royal house of Alderaan, a Senator, is going to resort to -"

"I'll steal them," Luke said. He leaned around the metal corner. The mist-shrouded street was deserted. He beckoned for her to follow.

* * *

They hugged the walls of the buildings, passing quickly by any lit windows or open doors, slipping furtively from shadow to shadow. Luke finally halted, tossing his thumb at a sign above a doorway. "Miner's supplies," he whispered. While the Princess watched the walkways, he tried to peer through one dark window. "It's a miner's supply shop all right. But where is everybody?"

"The only establishments open this time of night likely sell nothing but intoxicants. What now? How do we get in?" She looked uncomfortable.

Luke led her around back. There was a rear entrance. Luke tried the portal. It was locked. "Wonderful," the Princess said.

Removing the lightsaber from his waist, Luke adjusted the controls set in the handle. "What are you going to do, Luke?"

"I don't know how big this town is, but a noisy break-in might attract too much attention. So I'm trying not to be noisy."

The Princess took a couple of steps back, looking up and down the alleyway. At any second, she expected to see a squad of angry troopers race around a corner toward them, alerted by some alarm they unknowingly triggered.

Only jungle sounds reached her; however, as Luke activated his saber. Instead of the meter-plus shaft of blue-white energy, the pommel put forth a short needle-thin spoke. "It's unlikely Jedi Knights had any thought of using these as burglary tools, but since silence is of the essence…" Luke stepped forward and moved the energy beam along the slight space between the door and frame. A third of the way down, a distinct click sounded. The door slid obediently aside. Readjusting his saber, Luke flicked it off and replaced it at his waist.

"Go ahead," he told her. "The 'droids and I will keep watch."

"I'll change, then bring you some appropriate attire."

Luke nodded and Leia vanished inside.

* * *

Seated in a hovering chair on the bridge of the mammoth Mon Calamari cruiser, a red-skinned Admiral dressed in a white uniform with bulbous yellow eyes on either side of his skull read over a data pad. With a chime, an access door slid open. Mon Mothma approached the seated amphibian from behind. "Excuse me, Admiral Ackbar," she spoke. He raised his head and angled his chair to face her. "I should like to have a word with you."

"Of course, Commander Mothma."

"I received a communication from Circarpous IV."

The Admiral perked up. "Good. The conferences are underway."

"Yes. However, the transmission indicated that Senator Organa and Commander Skywalker have failed to make an appearance."

"Strange. They should have made contact with the underground sects by now."

"I agree," Mothma said. "It is very unlike the Senator to miss such an important engagement. I find that very troubling."

"As do I." Admiral Ackbar made a low, guttural sound. "What do you propose?"

* * *

Luke and Leia walked along the main street halfway into town where increasing light caused Luke to stop. "What's the matter?" the Princess asked.

Eyeing her, Luke said, "Your walk."

"What's wrong with my walk?"

"Nothing. That's the trouble. You're walking like a Princess, not like a tired mineral-grubber. Slump your shoulders. Slouch a little. Otherwise that regal bearing of yours will put us in an Imperial cell."

"First I assist you in petty larceny and now this."


	4. Chapter 3

**III**

As they made their way down the metal walkway toward the better-lit buildings, more and more miners and other figures appeared, materializing out of the mists.

"The town's coming alive," Leia murmured. "They probably run three alternating shifts at the mine. Looks like one is just letting out."

They stopped before a reasonably quiet, fairly well maintained structure that advertised itself as a tavern by way of a glowing yellow placard displaying pictures that looked like food.

"Looks peaceful enough," Luke said. He turned. "Threepio, you and Artoo wait out here. Find a dark corner somewhere and stay quiet until we come back."

"You don't have to urge me, Master Luke," the tall golden 'droid exclaimed fervently. "Come along, Artoo." Both 'droids headed into a narrow passageway between the tavern and its neighboring building.

"What do you think, Princess? Should we take a chance?"

"Enough stalling. I'm starving." She put a hand over the door switch. Immediately the double doors slid apart. Lights, noise, and talk in overwhelming quantities assailed them instantly. Low booths honeycombed the tavern interior.

Luke flipped open a small case carefully, went rapidly through its contents, and snapped it shut, slipping it into a pocket. "I've got enough Imperial currency to last us a while. You?"

"What would a representative of the Alliance be doing with common currency on a diplomatic mission?"

Luke sighed. "We'll make do."

"I'm so hungry I could eat half a chou-shou."

Somewhere near the center of the humanoid whirlpool they miraculously came upon an empty table. The Princess concentrated intently on the tabletop when a rugged human waiter wearing a dirty brown vest and apron approached them.

"Your pleasure?" he inquired distantly.

"What's best tonight?" Luke asked.

"Kommerken steak, flank cut. And ootoowergs. With the usual supplements."

"For two," Luke told him.

"Got it," the attendant replied with equal perfunctoriness, and waded off into the mob.

"He didn't ask any questions," the Princess murmured, looking back up at Luke.

"This might be easier than I thought." Then his brows lowered and his expression sobered.

"What is it, Luke?"

He nodded and she turned to look toward the bar. A large, hulking miner was feebly assailed by something human-sized, skinny, covered completely with light green fur. It had wide, nocturnal eyes and a crest of higher, darker fur running from the crown of its head down the middle of its back. A simply worked skin of some unknown animal was wrapped about its pelvic region while several jangling necklaces of sharp teeth and stone beads swung from the neck.

Presently the creature began making mewing noises in a high, rippling voice. The alien singsong was coated with the unmistakable hint of desperation. "Vease, sir," it begged, "smav drink? Vickerman, vickerman?"

The big miner met the pitiful request by putting out a broad foot and kicking the native in the face. "Damn greenies! Not fit fer labor, too much sweat ta kill!"

Luke stood, his body tense. "Sit down, Luke," Leia whispered. "You can't do anything but get us pegged as outsiders."

"I can't stand to see anyone abused like that," he muttered, "human, or alien."

"They must be native to this world. The Empire isn't known for kindness toward non-allied aborigines."

Luke faced her. "How can you watch it?"

Leia swallowed, her eyes dropping. Her lower lip trembled. "I was forced to watch my whole world - billions of people - get destroyed." Her soft face stiffened to the steely exterior of a determined freedom fighter. "Nothing surprises me anymore." She turned her clinical gaze back to the scene at the bar.

"Bootop!" the miner bellowed at the aborigine, while his companions chortled among themselves. "Bootop, ves?"

The greenie's head twitched. The whining, pleading alien stared up at the man, wiping blood from its face. "Vickerman, vickerman?"

"Yeah, vickerman." The miner no longer smiled. "Bootop."

Without further prompting the native dropped on its belly. An unexpectedly long, snake-like tongue darted out and began licking grime and mud from the man's boots.

Luke's head dipped as he rubbed his forehead to block the scene from his field of view. "I'm going to be sick," he whispered.

The native finished its demeaning task and held up cupped hands. "Tend vickerman now? Now?"

"Yeah, sure," the miner said. Reaching onto the bar, he picked up an oddly shaped bottle and touched a button on its side. Part of the bottle's upper section filled with a dark liquid.

Turning to face the expectant native, the miner tilted the bottle over and spilled the thick red liquor onto the floor. While men and women at the bar enjoyed a final laugh at the poor creature's expense, the greenie dropped to a prone position while its amazing tongue flicked in and out to lap up the liquor before it retreated into cracks in the floor.

Luke let his curious gaze wander around the large chamber. There were more of the green-furred bipeds moving around. Many begged with an air of frantic hopefulness. Others engaged in sweeping, cleaning tables, or wiping out glasses.

"Your meal." The attendant arrived with their food. He set two rectangular metal trays down as well as two metal cups. The meat was dark in color; tender, juicy, and flavorful. The vegetables were a mixture of green, orange, yellow, and white bursting with more taste than their size might imply.

"Not bad," Luke said after several quick bites.

Meanwhile the Princess tasted her meat gingerly. Her mouth wrinkled as she chewed and swallowed. "Not what I'd order if I had a choice."

"We don't," Luke pointed out.

"No, we don't. We…" She stopped, staring past Luke. Luke turned to look behind him. The attendant was standing near the bar, watching her. "I don't like the way the waiter keeps eyeing me."

As soon as he noticed Leia looking back at him, he turned and walked away. "I have a bad feeling about this, Luke. Do you think he suspects?"

"How could he? Even I wouldn't recognize you dressed like that."

Leia bent over her plate and resumed eating. After a few bites, she said, "Look, over there." Luke turned and glanced furtively in the indicated direction. The attendant was talking with a tall, urbane man dressed in the uniform of an Imperial civil servant.

"They do suspect!" Leia whispered tightly. She started to stand. "We've got to run for it."

"We can't rush off, especially if we're being watched," Luke countered. "Don't panic, Leia."

"I said I'm leaving!" Nervous, she started to turn to leave.

Luke grabbed her arm and pulled her back. As the Princess looked at him, he reached out and slapped her left cheek. As heads turned in their direction, he said loudly, "No favors for you until I'm finished eating!"

One hand went to Leia's burning cheek. Wide-eyed and voiceless, the Princess plopped back down, her head slowly lowering. Luke frantically attacked his steak with his eating utensils and took a quick bite.

The uniformed Imperial sauntered over to them, backed by the attendant at a discreet distance. "Is there some trouble I can assist you with?" he asked.

"No trouble here," Luke assured him, forcing a smile. The man didn't leave. "Why do you ask?"

"Elarles here," he indicated the attendant "is most observant for a waiter. While it's clear with your calloused hands you're a miner," the bureaucrat's oily gaze shifted to Leia. "I'm more curious about your companion."

Leia kept her head down. "Why?" Luke asked with a half smile. "What's the problem?" He raised a bite toward his lips.

"She dresses like a miner," the man said, "but her hands indicate some other profession."

Luke's hand stopped in mid air and his eyes opened a bit wider. The Princess' hands were soft, pale, un-calloused; clearly the hands of anyone but a manual worker. Luke's years on his uncle's farm had equipped his body, including his hands, to play the role of a miner, but Princess Organa probably never spent time handling an excavator or pitter. _Never thought I'd be thankful for farm chores_.

Luke's mind raced. "She's… uh… I bought her."

Leia twitched and stared at him a moment before resolutely poking at her food.

"All I could afford, really. Spent all my earnings on her." Luke tried to sound indifferent as he shrugged and took his stalled bite. "She's not much, of course." Leia's shoulders shook. "She's a lazy servant but amusing to have around. She's a bit disobedient and tends to get out of line at times and I have to slap her down."

The bureaucrat nodded and smiled for the first time. "I sympathize, young man. Sorry to interrupt your meal."

"No bother," Luke called after him as he walked away.

The Princess glared up at Luke. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Of course not. I just saved our lives."

She rubbed her cheek. "With a servant-girl story?"

"It was the first thing I could think of," he insisted. She started to stand a second time.

"You strangers ran a pretty good one on that stuffed shirt," a new voice said. "You okay, honey?"

Luke looked at an older woman who appeared next to the Princess. Placing a firm hand on the Princess's shoulder, she exerted a gentle but unyielding pressure. She gave slight nod. Reluctantly, the Princess sat down slowly. The woman pulled at the edges of her long brown over robe. She then blew a strand of wavy white hair from her right eye.

Luke and Leia watched the woman warily as she pulled a chair up to their table. "We haven't met," Luke said.

"What makes you think we're strangers?" Leia asked. "And who invited you to join us?"

The woman leaned close. "Old Halla here has a pretty good eye for faces." She winked one blue eye and made a salute with her index finger as she smiled. "You're not residents of this town and I ain't seen you in none of the other four. Sick and decrepit as this world is, I know all the sickies and decrepits inhabiting it. You're new to me."

"We came in on the last ship," Luke said blindly.

Halla grinned at him. "You're tryin' to fool old Halla now, ain't you? Now, don't look so upset, kids. So what if you're strangers?" She scrunched her lower lip, shrugged, and made a slight nod. "That's good. I need strangers. I need your help."

The Princess swerved to stare at her with he mouth opened. "You want us to help you?"

"Surprised, ain't you?" Halla chuckled.

"Help you do what?" Luke asked.

"Just help," she said. "You help me," she shrugged again, "I help you. And I know you need help because there are no strangers on this world. And yet," she spread her hands and looked at the table, "here you are." Halla met Luke's gaze. "You want to know how I know you're strangers," she leaned over the table and wagged a finger at Luke. "We have a mutual friend. Goes by the name of the Force."

Luke rolled his eyes and smiled at her. "The Force is a superstition, a myth people swear by. It's used to frighten children."

"Is that so?" Halla sat back and folded her arms in satisfaction. "Well then, boy, the superstition is stronger in you than in anyone else I've met on this forsaken mud ball."

Peering closer at Halla, Luke's head tilted slightly. His eyes stared into the old woman. "What is it, Luke?" the Princess asked as she saw his blank expression. He ignored her.

"You said your name is Halla." The woman nodded once. Slowly. "You have a little of the Force about you, too."

"More than a little, sapling. I am a master of the Force. A master!"

Luke said nothing. "You want proof?" Halla challenged. "Watch and learn!"

Halla balled her hands and held her breath. Her eyes focused on a spice shaker in the middle of the table. It quivered slightly. Halla's eyes closed. The shaker bounced once against the table. Then twice and moved several centimeters to its left. Halla opened her eyes and exhaled. Sitting back, she took a deep breath and wiped sweat from her brow.

"There. You see? A little of the Force, indeed!"

"I felt it, the vibration," Luke confessed looking at the Princess.

She smiled warmly. "I'm not taken in by parlor tricks."

Luke looked at Halla again.

"I can do other things, too. When I want to," Halla announced, straightening her shoulders and tilting her head back slightly. "We're two manipulators of the Force destined to join hands. Help each other along the way."

"I'm not so sure," Leia said with a pursed lips and a slight tilt of the head.

"You got nothing to worry about with me, little pretty," Halla said. She patted the Princess' hand. Leia drew back. Halla studied her, smiled, and grabbed her wrist.

"You think old Halla's crazy, don't you?"

The Princess shook her head. "I didn't say that."

"But you thought it." Halla shrugged. "No matter." She let go of the Princess' wrist.

"Just for the sake of discussion," Luke said, "let's assume your guesses are right and that we need help. Why would you help us?"

"Just for the sake of discussion, boy," Halla mimicked him, "I'll get to that. But you gotta tell me what you need from me."

"Now look -" Luke said firmly.

Halla waved her hand and crossed her right leg over her left. "It won't work on me, swaddle-clothes. You don't want it advertised you're strangers around here, do you?" Her voice raised slightly with the last few words.

Luke placed a finger to his lips and shook his other hand just above the tabletop. Then he glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to them.

"Okay, so you know we're strangers."

"Your faces are turnin' white as the inside of a trooper's belly. No need to be frightened."

"If you know we're strangers, you know what we need," Luke said, leaning forward. "We have to get off this planet." The Princess flashed Luke a warning look. "Who are you, anyway? A Jedi Master?" Luke asked.

"Just old Halla," the woman declared blankly. "And you just want to get off Mimban. You didn't pick me a simple one, did you?" She frowned. "How'd you two get here, anyways? You're not gonna convince me you came on the regular supply ship."

"Regular supply ship?" Leia sat up. "You mean Circarpous knows about this installation?"

Halla snorted. "Did I say where the transport was from?" She uncrossed her legs. "Circarpousians," she repeated, shaking her head slightly. "They're a bunch of provincials! This place is right in their backyard and they don't know about it. No, the Imperial government operates the mine and the towns directly. They monitor space for many planetary diameters. The Circarpousians don't care about this planet. They have a pretty good colony going on X." Halla raised her index finger. "But if a ship so much as passes anywhere close by this mud ball, they shut everything down. The mine, the landing beacon; everything."

Luke glanced at Leia and back to Halla. "We were traveling from Circarpous X to IV on business."

" _Stang_! You came from the Rebel base on XIV, you mean. So much for trust." She waved it away. "Never mind, boy. The only government I recognize is my own. If I wanted to sell out those Rebels, I'd have done it long ago."

Luke took a deeper breath, sat back and slumped his shoulders slightly. He smiled at Halla. "We were traveling in a pair of single-seat fighters. The instrumentation here may not be calibrated to recognize anything that small. We got down undetected, so no alarm's been raised."

"Where are your ships?"

Luke made an indifferent gesture with his head in a general northeast direction. "Out there somewhere. That's if the muck that passes for ground on this planet hasn't swallowed them up by now."

Halla smiled and folded her arms across her mid-section. "Good. People don't stray from the towns. Not likely they'll be discovered. So, why don't you take back off if you land -"

"Land?" the Princess interrupted sharply. "We didn't land. We ran into some kind of field-distortion effect produced by the energy mining. It wiped out our instruments. It's a good thing it did or we would have set down on the Imperials' field."

"We crashed. Our ships will never fly again. So, you see, Halla, you have to help us arrange passage off-world," Luke said.

"Next to impossible, boy. You're here illegally without proper identification. The moment anyone asks you to produce identification and you can't, they'll dump you in the local lock-tight for questioning with the head mind-ugly-ug named Grammel." She looked at each of them in turn. "A good man to avoid. There's no way to book passage from Mimban. Think of something else because you're stuck here."

"If we can't leave through normal channels, you'll have to help us steal a ship."

For the first time since she'd joined them, Halla sat speechless, leaning back in her chair. "Anything else you'd like, boy?" she finally asked. "Grammel's cloak of office? The Emperor's Dualities? Steal a ship? Are you out of your mind?"

"We're in like company, then," the Princess folded her arms and looked at Luke. "I knew she was just an old windbag the second I laid eyes on her."

Halla turned on her. "I've just about had enough of you, little pretty. I don't need your help."

"You can't do it, can you?"

"It's not that I can't. There are certain risks involved and all. I'll help you steal your ship."

Luke smiled at the Princess who remained focused on Halla. "On one condition. You help me first."

"We don't seem to have any choice," Luke sighed. Leia placed an elbow on the edge of the table and rested her chin on the back of her left fist. "What do you need from us?" Luke asked.

"To find something," Halla said. "Shouldn't be much trouble for two scholars of the Force like us. I can't do it alone, and it's something I can't trust anybody else with. I know I can trust you, because if you try to cross me, I'll sell you to Grammel."

Halla looked around the table with seriocomic intensity before turning back to them. "I don't suppose either of you kids have ever heard of the Kaiburr Crystal?"

"Right so far," Leia admitted with a sigh.

"Your ignorance ain't surprising," Halla said as she picked up a fork and poked a piece of meat on one of the trays. "Only a few familiar with the early exploration of Mimban have heard of it." She raised the fork to her mouth and chewed. "Circarpousian xeno-archeologists decided it was totally made up by the greenies to coax liquor out of 'em and left, never to return." Halla poked another bite of steak and brought it up into her mouth. "But it was still in the Imperial records when this mining outfit set up here."

"Where is this crystal?" Luke asked.

"According to myth, the backwater temple of a third-rate deity called Pomojema, say the greenies I've talked with. It's quite a haul from here." Halla quickly helped herself to another bite. "This world's rotten with temples. And since Pomojema's a third-rate god, nobody's been too interested in finding his temple-house."

"Temples, gods, crystals," the Princess said. "Suppose this legendary place does exist, what's the Kaiburr Crystal supposed to be? A big gemstone of some kind?"

"Of some kind," Halla confessed as she chewed another bite of meat with that sly smile of hers. "Interested in spite of yourself, ain't you?" The

Princess looked away.

"We're interested in anything that gets us closer to getting off this planet," Luke admitted. "The story of this crystal sounds intriguing on its own. What kind of gem is it?"

Halla blew air through the side of her lips as she cut another piece of meat. "I could care less what kind of necklace it would make for a spoiled noblewoman." She eyed the Princess and continued. "I'm more interested in a certain property it's supposed to have."

"More stories," Leia countered. "This all sounds nebulous. How can you be certain the xenon-archeologists weren't right? What makes you think this gem exists outside of the gree - uh… Mimbanites' stories?"

"Simple, doll," Halla returned with a triumphant smile as she set the fork down, "I have proof!" She reached into the folds of her inner tunic and pulled out a tiny metal box, touched a small knob, and popped the lid.

Luke and the Princess peered close for a good look. What they saw was a glowing splinter of something that looked like red glass. The color was deep and rich. The surface had a vitreous luster resembling crystallized honey.

"Well?" Halla asked them after a long moment. "Now are you convinced?"

"You expect us to accept a fragment of radiant glass or treated silicate as proof?" Leia asked, sitting back.

"This is a piece of the Kaiburr Crystal itself!"

"Where did you get it?"

"Traded a greenie a whole bottle of tipples for it, I did."

Leia's eyebrows arched. "You're telling us one of the primitive, superstitious locals parted with a shard of this legendary gem for a lousy bottle of liquor?"

"It wasn't his ancestor's god," Halla said, placing one arm over her stomach and curling fingers under her chin. "Look at the pitiful things," she nodded to crawling beggars pleading with patrons. "They'll do anything short of killing themselves for a drink."

"Maybe this is a piece. But it still doesn't explain this drive you have to go hunting for it, especially if the jewel potential doesn't interest you."

"Still can't see, can you?" Halla turned to Luke. "The boy knows, don'tcha, lad? Go on. Touch it."

Luke hesitated, his gaze moving from the Princess to Halla and back again. Halla removed it from the box and extended it out to him in a cupped hand.

"See? It's not hot. Are you afraid? Go on, touch it and believe." Luke hesitated.

"I'll touch it," the Princess volunteered, extending a finger. Halla closed her hand and pulled it out of Leia's reach.

"Touching it would prove nothing to you." She reached out to Luke again. "Go on, boy. It won't hurt you."

Licking his lower lip, Luke cautiously probed the splinter with an index finger. It felt exactly like what it resembled, a piece of glowing, heatless glass. But the sensation that coursed through him did not come from his finger and was not carried by the nerves in his skin. It was like a live current rippling up the muscles in his arm. He felt every person in the tavern - knew exactly where every one was sitting or standing. What they were eating or drinking. He felt the very air vibrating around him. He'd only felt it before while concentrating in the presence of old Ben Kenobi. A tumble of images flashed through his mind. Luke quickly drew back.

"Luke, what is it?" the Princess asked. She stared at Halla. "What did you do to him?"

"He's been startled. Shocked. Even surprised. Much as I was when I first touched the crystal."

Leia faced Luke. "What did you feel?"

"It's what I experienced," Luke said softly. "This," he pointed at the fragment of red mineral in Halla's palm, "increases one's perception of the Force. It magnifies and clarifies in proportion to its size and density, I think." He gazed at Halla. "Anyone in possession of the whole crystal would have such a lock on the Force they could do just about anything."

"My thoughts exactly, boy," Halla agreed. She placed the fragment back in the box and snapped the lid shut. She handed it to Luke. "To show you I mean what I say, you keep it this piece for yourself, boy." Luke slipped it into a pocket.

"And now," Halla went on, "you have no choice but to help me. Without delay. By touching that fragment, Luke here set up a tiny but perceptible stirring in the Force. I felt it. It might have traveled no farther than this tavern, or it might have affected Force-sensitives halfway across the galaxy. There are Force-sensitives in the Imperial government who might feel such a stirring. If you're both with the Alliance, as I'm pretty sure by now you are, then the Imperials would be real interested in Luke. From what I hear, they don't want anyone on the Rebel side capable of handling the Force. They'll come fast and hard.

"Besides, boy, you know what kind of damage a Force master could do with the entire crystal in their hands. Can you take a chance on the Empire finding it first?" Her face went soft around the edges. "Sorry. I had to do something to shove you both past the point of no return. I couldn't risk having my first really secure helpers back out on me now, could I?"

"She's right, Leia. We can't take the risk that the crystal might fall into Imperial hands. Besides, we need Halla to help us get off-planet, all right?"

"My, my. What's this? A miner asking for permission from his servant girl?" Neither met Halla's gaze. "Take it easy, kids. I won't give you away, whoever you are." She looked around. "This isn't the most private place to do business. If you're finished with your supper, we'd do well to talk somewhere else."

Luke nodded and stood. "It's about time we collected Artoo and Threepio."

"Just a minute," Halla put out a restraining hand as she pulled her hood over her head. "I thought there were only two of you."

Luke grinned. "They're my two 'droids."

"Oh, that's all right. Never could afford a 'droid myself."

While paying their bill, Luke sneaked a glance in the direction of the Imperial civil servant. The man didn't even look at them.

Once outside the closed double metal doors, Leia shoved Luke. He staggered and tumbled off the narrow walkway into the mud-filled trench. When he recovered his senses, he gazed at her in surprise. Halla paused, looking around.

"Now you look more like a miner," she grinned at Luke. "That's for slapping me inside. No hard feelings?"

Luke wiped the mud from his hands then smiled up at her. "None at all." Leia held out her right hand. Luke reached up and yanked hard. She plunged into the trench beside him. He sat there grinning as she turned around.

The Princess' eyes were wide. Her mouth gaped and she motioned at her upper body with her hands. "Look at me! Look what you've done to me!"

Luke ruffled her double-bun hairdo. "Now you look a little more like a servant girl." They began wrestling around, laughing.

Halla watched with a chuckle until three men and a Snivvian came out of the tavern. They paused, their attention drawn to the two in the mud. "Stop it, you two," Halla said. "You've attracted the attention of a bunch of local head-splitters." She moved down the walkway. They drank from glass bottles, just drunk enough to be dangerous. The longer they watched, the quieter they became.

Much too quiet to suit Halla.


	5. Chapter 4

**IV**

"For our souls and health," Halla whispered hastily to the two combatants, "stop it!"

Playing in the mud, neither Luke nor the Princess heard Halla's anxiously whispered warning.

A large muscular dark skinned human with a blue rag over his head and the arms ripped off his uniform leaned to his right, spat something out between his beard, and said, "Servant's not supposed to fight back, ain't that right boys?" He wore a wrist guard on both forearms.

Luke and Leia paused, looking up at the four miners.

"Doesn't seem proper somehow," one of his companions with a mop of wild black hair and wiry frame agreed. He called down to Luke. "Hang in there, young fella. We won't let her hurt you none!"

The first miner laughed and the two quickly crossed wrists. "Funny man, Witter, funny man." Grinning and chuckling among themselves, the four ruffians stepped down off the walkway.

* * *

Finding herself providently ignored by all concerned, Halla slipped into the shadows. "Is there anything we can do, madam?" a voice said into her ear. She jumped and turned. Threepio jumped.

"You got no right scaring me like that," her eyes went up and down his golden metal body, "you refugee from a scrap shop!"

"I apologize, but my master and the lady…" Threepio pointed at Luke and Leia.

Halla peered back out to the street. "I'm afraid we can't do anything."

Artoo beeped. "Nonsense, Artoo. You'd be deactivated for interfering with those humans. I'm sure Master Luke can cope quite nicely."

"Are you Threepio?"

"At your service."

Artoo chirped several times. "And you must be Artoo." Halla saw two of the men pull Leia up from the mud. "I don't think those bulk-boys are just teasing," Halla said. "You better come with me," she said to Threepio and hustled further down the walkway.

"She's probably right. Let's accompany the nice woman, shall we, Artoo?" The squat 'droid beeped.

Threepio shuffled after Halla who took another look back. "I think your friends are done for. Too bad about those kids. I was just stating to like 'em. I hope the get a decent burial."

Threepio's head jerked a few times. "Burial? Did she say, 'burial', Artoo?" His domed companioned let out a shrill whistle. "We're doomed."

* * *

The bulky dark-skinned man had his left arm around the Princess' neck. "She ain't no 'droid servant, that's for sure," the tallest human said. He took a swig from his bottle while the Snivvian snorted several times.

Leia tried to lower herself under the large arm across her shoulders. "Thank you so much, but this is a private matter." The arm pulled her closer.

"Thank you so much, this is a private matter," the tall man echoed in a mincing tone.

Leia's captor leaned close. "You're not a registered citizen, lady-love. No name tag, nothing. Fightin' in public's against the law. Mine law says we got to apprehend lawbreakers. C'mere and lemme apprehend you."

Luke hauled himself up quickly and brought the edge of his palm down hard on the miner's wrist. Letting out a yelp, he released Leia and stepped back. Then Witter and the other human held Leia back by her shoulders and arms.

"You shouldn'ta done that, kid." The miner flicked his forearms. There was a clicking sound. A double-bladed stiletto slid out from under his wrist guards, protruding down past his clenched fists.

"Sonny boy wants to play," he snickered. "Come on, sonny," he urged, kicking his right leg, then his left. Double blades protruded from each boot sole. The man moved in a low crouch toward Luke.

"Look out, Luke!" the Princess said, struggling to free herself.

"Let's you and me dance!" The miner leaped from the walkway, leading with his left leg. Trying to watch all eight blades at once, Luke pulled back. The knife-wielder swung at Luke with his left hand and followed up the miss with a spinning side kick. Then swung around in an arc, reaching with his right hand. The double blades made whooshing sounds in the damp night air.

"We don't want any trouble," Luke declared, his hand moving to the pommel of his lightsaber.

"This ain't trouble, kid," the assailant assured him. "This's pure pleasure." He dove with a yell toward Luke who dodged both kicks and arm swings agilely.

The tall man came up behind Luke and had his arms pinned back under Luke's triceps. The knife-wielder was approaching leisurely, making entwining motions with his fists. "Do him slow, Jake," Luke's captor said. "Wise-mouth kid."

"Fancy dancer, ain't you, boy?" Jake grinned. "Kole's got you now. And I'm tired of chasin' you around. It's gonna end right here."

Luke held his lightsaber hilt backward and pushed the stud. The meter long beam of blue-white energy materialized, straight through Kole's left thigh. Howling, Kole let go of Luke who then pulled the blade free.

Luke arced his saber forward. "Get him, Slag," Witter said to the Snivvian.

Slag held a long metal bar-shaped tool and swung toward the back of Luke's skull. Luke's blade neatly eliminated the stilettos from Jake's wrists while a follow through backward cut surgically cleaved the wrist of the Snivvian who screamed. Leia was on the back of Witter and twisted his head, scratching his face. " _Stang!_ " Witter swore, his arms flailing about. All of it happened in the time it took Kole to slump to the ground where he held his leg, groaning loudly. Slag squealed in pain, holding his wrist as he fell to his knees.

* * *

At the far corner of the walkway, Halla watched. "Kid's pretty damn good with that blade," she said. Movement further up the street caught her attention as a knot of figures clad in black and white armor hustled in a fast trot toward the tavern. Halla swung her arm, calling to the 'droids. "Threepio, Artoo; c'mon." She started down the access way between two buildings. "Won't do any good for us to get taken in, too."

"I heartily agree," Threepio said following Halla fist. Artoo beeped, rolling into the alley behind them...

* * *

The Princess struggled with Witter as Luke held his lightsaber pointed straight out at barrel-chested Jake who, now minus his wrist blades, held a more defensive position.

Something sun-bright and loud exploded in the mud near their feet. They turned. A number of energy rifles held by Imperial Stormtroopers were focused on them. Leia dropped off Witter's back.

"Put your weapons up," the sergeant with an orange shoulder marking ordered sharply. "In the name of the Emperor, you are remanded to custody, for fighting with weaponry in a public place."

Luke shut off his saber. Two troopers came around and collected a small arsenal from the miners as well as his father's blade.

"We didn't start this," Jake half-shouted. "Him an' the woman -"

"Shut up," the sergeant snapped. "You'll have a chance to speak your piece to Captain-Supervisor Grammel. Maybe he'll be generous. Good workers are tough to get here. He may leave you with most of your fingers."

The Princess kicked Kole in the injured leg soundly. He cried out in pain.

"You there, stop that!" the sergeant ordered.

Leia smiled and shrugged. "Sorry," she replied sweetly.

"Move out!" the sergeant said. Witter helped Slag while Kole limped with Jake's assistance. Leia stayed at Luke's side.

* * *

The saucer-shaped _Millennium Falcon_ flew into the Mon Calarmari cruiser's landing bay. The Corellian freighter turned around in mid-air, and came to a gentle rest on the polished metal deck. The landing ramp lowered. A ruggedly handsome man with brown hair wearing a white shirt and dark blue slacks emerged laughing, followed by a tall, fur covered Wookie with a checkered bandolier draped over one shoulder. "Did you see her face, Chewie?" Han was saying, as he threw his flight jacket over his shoulder. "I'll bet she never plays _sabacc_ again as long as she lives." Chewbacca made a series of growling sounds. "At least we got a couple of proton torpedoes out of it."

Setting foot on the deck, Han stopped in his tracks as Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma approached them. "Welcome back, Captain Solo," Ackbar offered, sweeping his arms wide.

"I trust your excursion was successful," Mon Mothma said.

"Listen, it's nothing personal, really. I just gotta come up with enough money to pay off that bounty on my head. That's all."

Mothma smiled softly. "I didn't come down here to lecture you on ethical behavior, Captain."

"No, but if the two of you want to see me," Han clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers, "it can't be for anything good."

Admiral Ackbar placed his hand on Han's back. He made a loud sucking sound as he drew in a breath. "We only require a moment of your time." He swept his other arm in the direction of the _Falcon's_ interior. They went back up the landing ramp.

Inside, Admiral Ackbar sat behind the game table. Mon Mothma looked around the spacious passenger area. Han stood with his hands on his hips while Chewbacca took up the rear, towering over his friend.

"So, this is the vessel that made the Kessel Run is less than twelve parsecs," Mothma said, turning to face Han.

He smiled and gave a shrug. "It was just a matter of knowing all the right short cuts. Please, have a seat."

Almost timidly, she sat with Admiral Ackbar. "So, what can a guy like me do for the top brass of the Rebel Alliance?" Han asked.

"We have a mission for you, Captain," Ackbar began.

Han held his arms out, smiling as he pursed his lips. "With all due respect, Admiral, we couldn't do this in the conference room?"

"Unfortunately, no." Ackbar sucked in a breath. "This mission must stay off all official records."

"When the Rebellion was formalized, we all agreed that not a single person was more important than the whole of our cause," Mon Mothma spoke. "But there are times when Admiral Ackbar and I feel we must bend the rules."

"You picked the right man," Han said and turned his head to the Wookie, "right Chewie?" Chewbacca let out a soft roar. "I like bending rules. What do you need?"

"I received a transmission from Circarpous IV," Mon Mothma said.

"Leia and the kid made it then. Well, that's good."

"No," Mothma said softly. "They haven't arrived yet."

Han's smile melted to concern. "Luke's the best pilot in the fleet. And she never misses an appointment."

"Which gives us great cause for concern," Admiral Ackbar said.

"The Circarpous system could be a very important ally in defeating the Empire," Mon Mothma continued. "Senator Organa was to be the face of our cause for them in light of the destruction of Alderaan; the single most important factor in bringing the system into the fold of the Rebellion."

"In this case, one person is more important than the cause," Han said softly.

"Personal reasons aside, Captain, given your friendship with the Senator and Commander Skywalker, and your unique background, I thought you were the best candidate to investigate the situation."

"Sure, Chewie and I will go check it out, won't we, pal?" Chewbacca growled.

Mon Mothma stood, smiling softly. "Thank you, Captain Solo. You do a great service to the Rebellion. Your contact will be Dillinger Du'Tarc."

Admiral Ackbar rose. "Good luck. And may the Force be with you."

Han's head tilted slightly to the side as the walked to the boarding ramp. His eyebrows rose slightly as he said, "Yeah."

Chewbacca growled at him. Han rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's get 'er fired up, Chewie. Something tells me we should've gone with them in the first place." Chewbacca growled a few phrases. "Don't worry. Once we figure out where Luke and the Princess went to, we'll pay off Jabba The Hutt. We'll be back in business in no time. Trust me."

A handful of minutes later, the _Millennium Falcon_ soared out of the cruiser's docking bay. Han weaved a path through fleet traffic. With a sudden forward thrust, his ship jumped into hyperspace.

* * *

Halla paused by an old wooden shack built into a small cubby of trees. She untied a metal key from the sash of her over cloak and turned to Threepio. "You two wait right here. I won't be a moment." Halla placed the key into a small hole and twisted it, unlocking the door with a soft thud. Pushing it open, the old woman stepped inside.

Her simple hovel had a few chairs, a table, and a small kitchenette where pots and pans hung from a wooden rack dangling from the ceiling. A small hearth on the far end was directly below a painted wooden picture of a female with bluish-toned skin and twin skull appendages holding something small and silvery colored in her left hand.

Admiring the picture, Halla smiled. "Well, old friend, we're back in business." She pulled the painting to the side and reached into a small niche. When Halla brought her hand back, she held the hilt of a lightsaber shaft.

Staring at the weapon for a moment, Halla chuckled. Working both hands under her cloak and behind her back, Halla tied the saber into her belt. She paused then, touching the painting with the fingertips of her right hand. She smiled and walked back outside.

* * *

At the far end of the settlement, the Stormtroopers approached a massive, forbidding ziggurat of ancient Mimbanian architecture constructed of gray and black stone like the ruins Luke spotted searching for the Princess' downed Y-wing. The roughly tapering edifice towered over the simpler structures of the mining town. There were antenna dishes on some of the ledges pointing toward the cloudy sky.

"What's that?" Luke asked.

"The jail," the sergeant said.

"I'm impressed. Not your average lockup," Luke commented softly as they strode under the thick stone arch entrance. They walked down a long passage leading into the massive structure.

"This is one of the old temples built by the natives."

"You mean the greenies?"

"Dumb miner. Good to see you got a sense of humor. There are other semi-intelligent races on this world. Some more degenerate than others. You'd know that if you didn't spend all your time in the mines. Whatever race built these temples has long died out. This one's been converted to house the mine offices and Imperial headquarters for Mimban"

"Hey, none of this was our fault," Jake spoke up. "Saberman and the woman led us on."

"Shut up, you."

"What's gonna happen to us?" Witter asked.

"Prisoners will provide answers. Not questions."

"I wonder what happened to Halla," Luke whispered to Leia.

"She didn't break her back trying to save us, did she?"

"No more chatter back there," the sergeant said.

"Go bury yourself under four feet of mud for about an hour," the Princess snapped.

"How would you like your pretty tongue burnt out with a low-power blaster?"

They turned a corner and walked into a large chamber serving as the command center. After the spartan gray stone, the sybaritic furnishings here came as a shock. Fur was draped lavishly on the walls above lounge chairs and long couches. Tall clay vases with painted hieroglyphics were filled with exotic flowering plants that added a touch of yellow and orange to the room's color scheme. There were a few tables and a pitcher of liquid.

Aside from supply crates, conduits, raised metal walkways, and wires, much of the interior chamber was left untouched save a circular control bank near a wall with a large communications screen.

"All of you, line up here," the sergeant said. The miners, Luke, and Leia assembled themselves on one of the fissures in the stone floor and waited. The troopers took up guard positions.

Behind the circular control center was a single Imperial Officer dressed in a crisp gray uniform. "Bring them over, sergeant." His voice was broken and gravelly. Luke thought he must have suffered some damage to his vocal cords.

"Yes, Captain-Supervisor." With a gesture from the sergeant, the six prisoners were herded across the room.

The most impressive thing about Grammel was the reaction to him by the miners. All their bluster and swagger disappeared. They stood silently and stared at the floor.

Grammel added no color to his surroundings. His face was pale and a modest paunch curving gently from beneath his sternum tarnished the image of the Imperial officer further. His silver and gray uniform itself was spotless and neat, however, as if in an attempt to camouflage the belly beneath.

Above the tight, high collar, Grammel's neck jumped out to a square jaw bordered by a drooping brown mustache. The line of that facial hair matched well the dour expression the Captain-Supervisor wore habitually. Tiny, penetrating eyes peered out from beneath brows like a granite ridge, overtopped by slicked back hair. _This man rarely laughs_ , Luke decided, _and for all the wrong reasons_.

Grammel stepped down from his perch and examined each of the uneasy group in turn. Luke borrowed a hint from the miners and concentrated solely on a crack it the floor.

"So these are the ones who break the peace and fight with weapons," he said. The voice grated on Luke's ears like a piece of rusty machinery long overdue for lubrication. It suited Grammel perfectly.

Stepping forward, the sergeant reported, "Yes, Captain-Supervisor. Permission to take the two wounded to the infirmary."

"Granted," said Grammel. He did not smile, but his permanent frown faded enough for his lips to straighten slightly. "For a time they will be better off than those who remain here."

Under guard, the handless Snivvian miner called Slag and Kole, the tall human with a recent limp, were led from the room. Grammel resumed his examination of those remaining. When he reached Luke and the Princess, his mouth twitched as if someone had jabbed him with a pin.

"You two I don't recognize. Who are you?" He stood nose to nose with Luke.

"Just a contract miner, Captain-Supervisor," Luke stammered.

Grammel moved to stare down at the Princess. Now he smiled gingerly, as if the effort hurt him. "And you, my dear? You're a miner too, I suppose."

"No." Leia didn't look at him. She nodded briefly toward Luke. "I'm his… servant."

"That's right," Luke said quickly. "She's my -"

"I can hear, boy." Grammel stared at her. He ran a finger down one cheek. "Pretty woman." She twitched out of his grip. "Spirited, too." He looked at Luke. "I congratulate you on your taste."

"Thank you, sir."

Grammel barked at the sergeant standing nearby. "What identification did you find on these two?"

"Identification, Captain-Supervisor? We assumed it was standard, sir."

"Never assume, sergeant. The universe is full of dead people who lived by assumption." He turned to Luke and Leia. "Your identification, please?"

Luke patted his chest, abdomen, and made a general search of his belt. "We must have lost it during the fight." He pointed at the miners. "They attacked us."

"That's a lie!" Jake yelled.

Grammel turned to Jake, narrowed his eyes and said very quietly, "Shut up."

Another Stormtrooper entered the chamber. "Captain-Supervisor?"

Grammel's gaze remained affixed on Jake. "What is it?"

The trooper approached and whispered something in Grammel's ear. Grammel eyes grew wide and his head tilted slightly. "Yes, I'll see him at once." He walked toward the door.

A short, cloaked figure entered and engaged Grammel in conversation. Occasionally, the short humanoid with caramel skin pointed at the miners or at Luke and Leia. Luke couldn't make out more than an occasional word. He leaned over to the Princess and whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this, Leia."

She whispered back, "You have an uncanny ability to reduce the most excruciatingly uncomfortable circumstances to the merely mundane."

The Captain-Supervisor concluded his conversation. The stunted figure promptly bowed and scurried from the room. Grammel returned to the detainees.

"You miners started the fight," he stated, pointing at Jake and Witter.

"We were provoked," Jake said, his voice cracking. "We were trying to uphold the law against fighting."

"By breaking it," Grammel countered, "attacking this young lady."

"It wasn't anything serious," Witter said. "We were only goin' to have a little fun."

"I find you guilty of assault with intent to commit murder," Grammel said. "Your fun will cost each of you half a time-period's pay. Your actions are not the Empire's idea of productive leisure."

Jake stepped forward. "Captain-Supervisor Grammel, I protest this judgment. I want to appeal."

Grammel racked the miner with a gaze that went from toe to head. "On what grounds?"

"The informality of the circumstances and the shortness of the trial."

"Very well. Since I am Imperial law here, I will consider your appeal myself." Grammel paused a moment then said, "Appeal rejected."

"Then I'll file a grievance with the Imperial Department of Resources representative in charge of mining operations," Jake riposted. "I want to see the judgment reviewed in another fashion."

"Certainly," Grammel said. He walked over to the circular control station and took a long thin computer chip from its slot. He pressed the switch at one end as he came back around the desk holding it between his index fingers. "This conversation has been recorded," he informed them all. "You'll need a transcript of these proceedings, won't you?"

Grammel held the chip in his right hand, raised his arm and thrust the end of the unyielding plastic into the argumentative miner's left eye.

Luke and Leia gasped as blood and pulp squirted in all directions. Jake collapsed to the floor with a loud scream. "Ahh… _Stang!_ " Shaking, Witter bent over him and tried to staunch the flow of blood from the ruined socket. It ran in a steady stream down Jake's face and coveralls.

"Sergeant, deposit the trash in the rear holding cells." Jake's body went limp as he slipped into unconsciousness. Two troopers dragged him along under his arms. The sergeant saw the guards and miners out and then stood watch beside the door.

"I do so dislike administrative details," Grammel said to Luke and the Princess. He pulled a white kerchief from his pocket and wiped blood from the computer chip. "This is a largely unknown and unexplored world. I have little time to waste. Sometimes my decisions must be fast and harsh. I'm sure the two of you will be more sensible than them." Grammel commenced tapping his leg with the red-tipped rod. Luke watched it nervously.

"From what I've been told, you're strangers to this town. You're strangers to the mine, to the planet, and the Imperial presence. How you arrived undetected and unauthorized, I can't imagine." He gritted his teeth and added in a low voice like a growl under his gravely tone, "I will find out, however. I always find out what I want to know."

"I'll tell you the truth, Captain-Supervisor, even though you won't believe me," Luke said, fearing they would suffer a far more grievous wound than the loss of an eye.

"I'm willing to listen, young man."

"We're… We're escaped criminals from Circarpous IV. Wanted for extortion and blackmail." Luke flipped a hand at the Princess. "The girl's the bait. We compromised some important people and stole a life pod hoping to make it to a colony on XII or X to try to gain passage out of the system."

"Plausible. But I think it's a cleverly crafted falsehood." Luke went cold inside. "If true, service in the Empire's mines isn't out of the question. But I need a sign of your good faith and… _honesty_."

"I don't understand, Captain-Supervisor," Luke said blankly.

Grammel held out his hand. "I'm told you have in your possession a most intriguing gemstone."

Luke froze.


	6. Chapter 5

**V**

"Captain-Supervisor," Luke swallowed, "I don't know what you mean."

Grammel's eyebrows slid down slightly. "Don't toy with me. You were seen showing a glowing red stone to a local woman whose presence is barely tolerated here. A little something you acquired during your illegal sojourn on Circarpous IV, perhaps?"

Luke's thoughts were in turmoil. Unquestionably, Grammel's informant saw the shard of Kaiburr Crystal. But the spy didn't see Halla present it to Luke.

For an awful moment Luke thought Grammel was a Force-sensitive. A hasty reaching out revealed the usual vapid vacuum associated with non-sensitive humans. Grammel didn't suspect anything about the fragment's real importance. Nevertheless, Luke balked at turning over the precious splinter to a servant of the Empire.

Grammel wasn't one to waste time. "Come on, young man. You seem like a sensible sort. Hand it over or I'll beat the young woman to death in front of you."

Luke unsnapped a pocket and reached in. "You can't!" Leia objected.

"We don't have a choice." Luke touched the tiny catch on the box. The lid popped open. He picked up the splinter and placed it in Grammel's waiting palm.

Captain-Supervisor Grammel stared at the fragment of glowing crimson. "Very pretty. Stolen, no doubt. What is it?"

"I have no idea what kind of gem it is."

Grammel looked sternly at him. "Is that true?"

"I'm no gemologist. Or chemist."

"Is the glow natural, or the result of external excitation?" Grammel probed the gem with his index finger.

"It's glowed ever since we've had it. I'd hazard a guess it's a natural property of the stone."

The corners of the Captain-Supervisor's lips curled up as he looked at Luke. "If you know so little about it, why did you steal it?"

"I didn't say I stole it." Grammel snickered derisively. Luke sighed. "All right, so I stole it. I've never seen anything like it. Something this special has to be valuable."

"You told me your field of expertise was extortion, not burglary," Grammel countered.

"The stone intrigued me." Luke shrugged, his head tilting slightly. "I had a chance to swipe it, so I did," Luke said with a touch of belligerent bravado.

Grammel turned his gaze back to the splinter. "As a gem it's not very impressive. Not faceted or even trimmed for cutting. The radiant property is most unusual. It's not harmful, is it?"

"Well… Not so far."

"You haven't suffered any ill effects since it's been in your possession?"

"Not until we were brought here."

Luke's remark produced deep laughter from the administrator. He clapped Luke's shoulder with his hand, shook his head and caught his breath with a quick sigh. "I think I'll have it analyzed professionally before I come to any conclusions about it." He looked up at Luke, the hardened edges of his face a touch softer. But only for a second.

"Consider it your fine for public brawling."

"But we were the ones assaulted," Luke argued.

"Are you disputing my judgment?" Grammel asked with a deep, dangerous tone. Luke snapped straight. "I didn't think so. It remains you two are on this world illegally in defiance of a great deal of Imperial effort to keep this installation secret. You will be detained until I can verify your story. I have contacts on Circarpous IV, legal and not, to whom I'll forward your retinal prints, neural scans, and such. Either they'll confirm your criminal pasts or I'll be forced to employ less subtle methods of obtaining the truth. Sergeant!"

"Captain-Supervisor!" the trooper acknowledged, stepping over smartly.

"Process these two and escort them to the restraining area."

"Which cell, sir?"

"The maximum security holding pen."

The sergeant hesitated. "But, sir, that cell's occupied. They've already put three men in the infirmary."

"No matter," Grammel said. "I'm sure these two can handle themselves."

When the trooper near Leia took her arm, the Princess tried to pull back. "Why are you doing this? We've been honest with you!"

The trooper behind Luke had his arm around Luke's right bicep and chest, pulling him along. "What are you caging us with?"

"You'll find out soon enough." A small group of Stormtroopers entered the room and boxed themselves around Luke and Leia. Grammel turned his back on them, holding the splinter up to stare into it. "Do try to remain alive until I can check out your story. It would be most inconvenient to learn you were telling me the truth all along, and then have to apologize to your headless corpses."

Once the Stromtroopers herded Luke and Leia away, the chamber was quiet again. The Captain-Supervisor spent several moments gazing at the glowing crystal fragment. He touched a switch behind his desk. A door opened and the short, cloaked figure entered the room for the second time. "Is this what you saw, Bot?" Grammel held up the shard of gemstone. The hooded figure nodded. "Do you know what it is?" The short humanoid shook negatively.

"Neither do I, Bot," Grammel confessed, gazing into the reddish glow. "Neither do I. But I think the youth underestimates its strangeness. I've never seen or heard of anything remotely like it."

Grammel glanced at the doorway where Luke and Leia were taken out. "His story is a little too convenient. Almost as if he gauged his responses to what I wanted to hear. I can't decide whether he's an inefficient crook or a smooth liar. I'm puzzled, Bot. But I think there might be something important in all this. I just don't have all the facts available to glue it together. I'm going to have to contact higher authority. We'll cut the truth out of them."


	7. Chapter 6

**VI**

"Take it easy," Luke complained, shrugging his arm free of the trooper who escorted them down the long, narrow stone hallway. As they walked, Luke studied the damp, dripping walls. Some of them sported dark moss. Clearly, the omnipresent moisture of Mimban penetrated the old stone this far inside. Panels of light were spaced between openings and cells. "You'd think the Imperial government could have invested some credit in modern quarters."

"Why," the sub officer ahead of them spoke, "when the primitives left us such useful structures?"

"A place of worship like this, turned into a lousy prison," the Princess declared angrily.

"The Empire does what's necessary," the sub officer said flatly. "Mining's an expensive venture. The Empire's smart enough to make use of existing facilities to save where it's able."

"Which probably extends to your pay and retirement benefits," the Princess retorted.

"That's enough out of you," the disgruntled sub officer decided. They rounded a sharp corner. A network of intersecting diagonal bars formed a mesh at the end of the corridor.

"Your new home," the sub officer informed them. As he passed a palm over the wall on his immediate right, a long ellipsoid dissolved in the center of the grill.

"Step through," the trooper next to Luke ordered, prodding him with his rifle.

"This cell was built to hold more than ordinary people," Luke said. "Who's inside?" He walked toward the empty space with great reluctance.

"They'll find you," the sub officer chuckled.

"Luke, I've got a very bad feeling about this," Leia said, holding his arm close.

"What was that you said earlier about understatement?"

Once the prisoners were inside the cell, the sub-officer passed his hand over the photo plate again. The dematerialized bars reappeared with a solid clank.

The troopers walked back up the corridor, snickering among themselves. "I'm not amused," Luke muttered. Each of the angled bars was as big around as his forearm. He flicked one with a fingernail. It rang like a bell. "Solid, not tubular," he observed. "I wonder what this cell was designed to hold."

The Princess gasped, pointing to a far corner. She backed toward the nearest wall. Two massive, brown hairy mounds lay clustered near the back of the cell under the single window. The fur moved up and down, indicating it was surrounding something alive.

"Easy, easy," Luke instructed, backing close to her, holding his arms down at a sharp angle to block her off. She leaned into his back. "We don't know who they are yet."

"We don't know what they are," the Princess whispered with a shaky voice. "And whatever they are, I think they're waking up."

One of the huge shapes stood, stretched, and let out a grunt like a volcano as it cleared its throat. It turned, pausing as it caught sight of them.

* * *

Captain-Supervisor Grammel stood at the center of the circular control station. He touched a switch, activating the blank wall screen. Switching another control on, Grammel spoke. "I have a deep space communication of the First Priority for Governor Bin Essada on the territorial administrative world of Gyndine."

"Processing," a computerized voice said.

Visual static appeared for a moment. It cleared with gratifying speed. The portrait that appeared on the screen was of an overweight, swarthy individual whose most outstanding feature was a large double chin falling into the upper part of his uniform. Curly black hair crowned the face like seaweed on a water-worn boulder. Governor Essada grunted in an almost unnaturally high contralto. "Who's contacting my office and for what purpose?"

With that smug, powerful visage looming over him on the screen, much of Grammel's customary assurance melted away. His words came out shaky and sounding subservient. "I am Captain-Supervisor Grammel, a humble servant of the Emperor."

"I don't know any Captain-Supervisor Grammel," Governor Essada said.

"I'm in charge of the mining colony on Circarpous V, sir," Grammel reported.

Essada paused momentarily. "I'm not unfamiliar with Imperial operations in that system," he said, choosing words carefully. "What business do you have that requires First Priority?" The huge bulk leaned forward. "It had better be important, Captain-Supervisor Grammel. I know you now."

"Yes, sir." Grammel bowed his head to the screen. "It's a matter involving two strangers who secretly set down here. I've confiscated a peculiar glowing crystal they had in their possession. I thought with your knowledge of radiant stones -"

"Don't waste my time with flattery, Grammel," Essada warned. "Since the Emperor dissolved the Senate, we Regional Governors are inundated with work."

"I understand, sir," Grammel said hastily. He held the crystal fragment within Essada's view.

"Tell me about the people who had it."

Grammel touched a button, transmitting an image of both Luke and the Princess that appeared on Essada's end of the communication with a line of numbers under each photo. "They're probably a couple of petty thieves, sir," the Captain-Supervisor said.

Essada's eyes widened as he looked at Leia's photo. "Forget the stone, man! Yes, it may be her. By the Force, it just may be her! The youth I don't know, but he may be important, too. I am pleased."

"Important, sir? You know of them?"

"I hope to have part credit for their capture and eventual execution, hers at least." Essada looked sharply at the bewildered officer. "Keep them unharmed at all costs until proper authority arrives to collect them, Grammel."

"Yes, sir," the Captain-Supervisor conceded. "But, how did they come to the notice of someone such as -"

"You did well to contact me directly, though not for the reason you thought. Once these two are in Imperial hands, you will become

Colonel-Supervisor Grammel."

"Governor!" Grammel lost poise completely as his mouth gaped. "Sir, you are too generous."

"Alive, Grammel. Remember that."

Grammel's screen went blank.

The Captain-Supervisor stood motionless for several long, thoughtful moments. Then he turned to the cloaked figure standing just outside of the control counsel.

"We appear to have stumbled onto something far more important than either of us dreamed, Bot. 'Colonel-Supervisor'!" Grammel gazed down at the crystal in his hand. All thought of a possible lethal nature was shunted aside by the vision of a glittering future ahead of him.

He looked at Bot. "We must take care."

The cloaked figure nodded energetically.

* * *

Governor Bin Essada tapped a large square button on his control station. The face of a communications officer appeared on his wall screen. Wasting no time with formalities, Essada spoke quickly. "This is Governor Bin Essada stationed on Gyndine. I request a direct link with Lord Vader right away. The matter is of First Priority urgency."

"Yes, sir," the youth replied with a nod. Essada's signal was rerouted.

A black shape, like a grotesque caricature of a face, wavered before the Governor, under a shimmering nightmarish ebony helmet. The unmistakable hiss of mechanical breathing filtered across the audio portion of the signal. Essada, nervous yet confident, swallowed hard. "What is it, Governor Essada?" The voice was deep, mechanical.

"I have important news for you, Lord Vader." Essada transmitted the images of the young man and woman in Grammel's custody to the receiving end. "These two individuals were apprehended on Circarpous V at an Imperial mining colony, posing as petty thieves. I'm uncertain as to who the youth is, however, I am certain of Senator Organa's identity. I thought it best this information was brought to your attention without pause."

The helmet lowered slightly on the screen. What few seconds passed did so ominously. Darth Vader's mechanical breathing quickened for a measure. "Well done, Governor."

"My lord, there's more I think you will find of interest," Essada added with a stammer. "They were in possession of a small gemstone fragment. It has certain unusual properties."

"What properties?" Darth Vader rumbled.

"It glows," the Governor gave his simple reply. Essada tapped up the image of the stone as Captain-Supervisor Grammel showed it to him as well as a data file, projecting both on Darth Vader's end of the connection. "I've researched the Imperial database, finding footnotes to local legends on Circarpous V of a healing deity. I drew the conclusion that there's a much larger stone connected to the legends. Possibly one that emits a radiation conducive to accelerated tissue regeneration. I believe the recovered fragment to be part of the larger stone in question."

The Dark Lord considered all the information Essada had presented in silence. Carefully, Essada continued. "Unfortunately, the entire gem was never recovered on the single preliminary exploration expedition. It's possible that it still awaits discovery in one of the many ruins located on the planet."

"You have done well," Darth Vader said, "Grand Moff Essada."

The Governor's mouth dropped open. His eyes were wide. He stuttered his response. "Th-thank you, Lord Vader." Essada bowed his head as the view screen went blank.

* * *

 _Inside a huge forested atrium under a blood red sky, Darth Vader stood over a mortally wounded man with his crimson bladed lightsaber pointed at his throat. A long quest was coming to an end._

 _The captured soldier trembled, his chest and abdomen cut and burned in long, horizontal scorch marks. "The name, rebel," Vader spoke evenly. "Who destroyed the Death Star?"_

 _Taking two small swallows of air, his weakened voice reached Vader like a whisper. "Sky… walk… er…" The rebel's eyes closed and his head fell to the side. His body was lifeless._

 _It was just a name. Three little syllables. And yet, it felt anti-climatic after spending so much time engaged in chasing one lead to the next. One spy to the next. One rebel agent to the next._

 _Now, it was over. Without grandiose fanfare. Without so much as a heroic fight. Darth Vader had the tiny detail he'd sought for months._

 _Considering the information for a moment, Vader stared down on the body. There was no satisfaction. No real feeling of victory._

 _With a growl, he stabbed the tip of his saber into the dead man's chest. The flapping of wings filled the air as dozens of night black birds left their perches in a tree and soared up into the air, squawking wildly._

* * *

 _Sky… walk… er…_ The very name haunted Darth Vader.

 _Sky… walk… er…_ That whisper blindsided him. Left the Dark Lord hollow. Three little syllables sucked everything right out of his purpose. Right out of his soul.

 _Sky… walk… er…_ It had been two decades since he'd last heard _that_ name uttered.

* * *

 _Conflicted on many levels, the deeply disturbed Darth Vader strode to his private holographic communications center. He stepped up onto a platform and kneeled. A white circle of light in the floor panels glowed. He lowered his head as the projector came to life._

 _Hovering in the air before the great black figure was the hooded face of the most powerful man in the galaxy. The Galactic Emperor. "You have discovered the name of the rebel responsible for the destruction of the Death Star?"_

 _Darth Vader looked up into the shadowed face. "I have, my master," he said in a subdued voice. "Skywalker," the Dark Lord presented his bit of information._

 _The Emperor was silent for a moment. "I sense great conflict in you."_

 _"_ _Yes, my master. What is thy bidding?"_

 _"_ _It is of little consequence. The name Skywalker has no meaning for you, my friend. You are Darth Vader. A Lord of the Sith. You will hunt down this young rebel and you will destroy him." The Emperor's lips formed a thin smile._

 _Darth Vader lowered his head. "As you wish."_

 _Drawing strength from the Emperor's words, from his very presence, Darth Vader steeled himself against the inevitable. Skywalker was a name buried deep in the past. One to be destroyed forever and then forgotten._

* * *

A long, deep hiss of Darth Vader's mechanical respiration was the only sound that filled his private chamber. _At long last, Skywalker and the Princess are within my grasp_. The two rebels most responsible for the Empire's setbacks; Princess Leia Organa for delivering data tapes to the Rebel Alliance, and Luke Skywalker for destroying the Death Star battle station; they would answer to him. Excitement tingled through every nerve as Darth Vader sensed his long hunt coming to an end. His prey was admirable, avoiding detection for so long.

On Circarpous V, Skywalker was searching for the Kaiburr Crystal. There was no question in Darth Vader's mind. The Dark Lord had access to information other gemologists, like Grand Moff Essada, weren't privy to. Sith legends spoke of a gem Force-sensitive beings used to magnify their mastery and control over the mystical energy field. Somehow, the boy knew this. He hoped to keep it out of the hands of the Empire.

Darth Vader felt Skywalker's power. He touched it momentarily above the Death Star. However, his skills were insignificant next to those of the Dark Lord. Skywalker's meager training would never see completion without Obi-Wan Kenobi's tutelage. The Kaiburr Crystal would benefit Skywalker little compared to the power to be wielded by a true master such as the Dark Lord of the Sith. With this power, Darth Vader would be the ultimate master over the Force.

Opening a link to the bridge, Darth Vader was faced with the projection of an elder officer who approached the screen professionally. "Yes, Lord Vader?"

"Admiral Ozzel, recall the squadron."

The Admiral blinked and quickly bit his lower lip as his eyes shifted to the side for a split second. "My lord... that will take time. An operation of this scale -"

"You will make haste."

"The sweep of the system is fully engaged. If we abandon our efforts now, we risk the possibility that the Alliance agents will slip from our grasp."

"These agents are no longer important, Admiral. Once the fleet is reassembled, set course for the Circarpous System," Darth Vader boomed.

Admiral Ozzel swallowed slowly and bowed his head slightly. "As you wish, my lord."

* * *

Luke's eyes bulged. He took slow, tentative steps toward the furry figure. The Princess put out a hand to hold him back, but he shook it off.

"Are you out of your mind, Luke? They'll tear you to pieces."

The waiting figure stood little taller than he did, but was built much more massively. Hair-covered arms reached to the cell floor. A long snout protruded from the center of the face. Two spike-like teeth pointing up from the lower jaw flanked a wide, flat nose. A pair of black eyes stared at him.

A querulous growling rumble came from the figure nearest Luke. The Princess pressed against the cold stone wall and slid toward the farthest corner.

Luke eyed the massive creature warily. He reached out and touched an arm in a certain way. His eyes never left the jet-black orbs staring into his own.

With startling speed, the creature took a backward hop and chittered something. Dun light from the ceiling illuminators in the cell shone on cable-like shoulder muscles above those double-length arms.

A pair of plate-sized hands reached out for Luke. He responded by uttering something in low tones. Shaking its head, its snout swinging, the creature hesitated, then rumbled again. Luke spoke louder gibberish.

Reaching out, the beast grabbed Luke with both hands and lifted him off the ground over its head. The Princess screamed. The creature brought Luke close to its body and licked a wet kiss on each of Luke's cheeks before setting him gently on the floor.

The Princess stared in disbelief at Luke's affectionate assailant. "Why didn't the brute tear your head off?" She gazed at Luke. "You talked to it?"

"That's right." Luke admitted. "I studied their language back on the farm on Tatooine. Studying other cultures was a good escape. These," he swept a hand at the creature and the second massive resting form with a long arm on his head, "are Yuzzem." The first giant shook his companion gently.

"I've heard of them, but this is the first time I've seen one."

"They're notoriously temperamental, so I thought I'd try to make the first greeting using the limited amount of language I know." Luke jabbered at the creature, which chittered back. "It might've killed me otherwise. I convinced them we're not like the Imperials that tossed 'em in here."

The Yuzzem turned, staggered backward, and bumped into the wall. It leaned over and shook its still somnolent companion. The second Yuzzem rolled over awake and swung angrily at the first. The massive hand missed, instead connecting with the wall hard enough to leave an impression in the rock. Rolling to a sitting position, it chittered to its waker, holding its head with one hand.

"Why," Leia exclaimed as realization struck her, "they're drunk!" The second Yuzzem managed to get to its feet. It growled at her. "No offense," the Princess added quickly.

"They're incredibly hung over and they'd appreciate it if you'd keep your voice down. The one I talked to is Hin. That's Kee." He jabbered at Hin and listened to the ragged reply. "He said they're working for the Imperial government. They protested being used as slave labor by filling in a mine."

"So they're on our side?"

"They don't like the Imperials any more than we do. According to Hin, the only reason Grammel didn't shoot them immediately is because each of them does the work of three men. They're in here because the regular cells won't hold them. Come say hello."

The Princess hesitated a moment. She nodded, walked over and reached out with a hand. It vanished into a hairy paw. Hin chittered at her. "The same, I'm sure," she said.

Kee howled and both humans looked at the other Yuzzem who babbled at Luke. "Says someone's been using a mining drill on his head for the past week." Luke smirked. "Yuzzem have really long hangovers."

"Does he know what the Empire is digging out of this planet?"

Luke turned to Hin, making guttural sounds. The Yuzzem made sound of its own, its teeth flashing as its head rose slightly. Luke turned back to the Princess. "Some kind of metal. He doesn't know what." Hin jabbered a second time, gaining Luke's attention as Leia walked toward the single window. "He said they load freighters once a week."

Leia gazed out at a panorama of mist-obscured lights from the town blocked by the same configuration of thick, diagonally placed bars. "I know someone I'd like to take a drill to," she muttered disconsolately as Luke joined her.

"You mean Halla," Luke said. "She couldn't do anything against the miners or the Stormtroopers."

Leia gazed at the mist-shrouded roofs. "If we hadn't lost control of ourselves in front of the tavern, we wouldn't have attracted the attention of those miners or be in here right now." Leia sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. Her eyes met the floor. "It's my fault." She looked up at Luke.

He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "This mess wasn't your fault, Leia."

She smiled at him. "You're a good man, Luke. The Rebellion is lucky to have you."

"Yeah," he turned away, "lucky for the Rebellion."

There was chattering from across the cell. Leia eyed Luke. "Kee says someone's coming," he translated.

The quartet turned their attention to the corridor. Footsteps rapidly approached. Two Stormtroopers escorted an anxious Grammel. Another helmeted sub officer wearing gray followed on Grammel's right. The administrator's steel stance relaxed a little on catching sight of his prisoners.

"You're both unharmed?" Luke nodded. "Good." His gaze traveled to the Yuzzem and back to Luke. "I was going to move you. But if the Yuzzem don't object to you, I think you'll be more secure right here. It develops that someone else has expressed an interest in your case."

Luke looked blankly at the Princess who stared back with equal lack of comprehension. "Yeah, one of the enforcers back on Circarpous IV, I'll bet," Luke said boldly.

"Not exactly." Another of Grammel's enigmatic half-smiles sent chills down Luke's spine. "It seems an important Imperial representative is coming to question you personally."

"Why would an Imperial representative be interested in us?" Luke asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Grammel replied with a slow growl. He stood right next to the criss-crossing bars. "I must admit that whatever Governor Essada sees in you two escapes me entirely."

"An Imperial Governor?" Leia slumped, backing away, breathing unevenly. Both hands went to her face. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Grammel studied her intently. "Yes. Why should that bother you?" He glanced sharply at Luke. "What's going on here?"

Ignoring him, Luke held the Princess' arms. "Steady, Leia."

"Imperial Governors don't take an interest in common thieves, Luke," she whispered tightly. Something clutched at her throat. "I'll be interrogated again… like with… Moff Tarkin… and Vader." She pulled away and threw herself against the back wall of the cell.

That time… Back on the Death Star. Small black worms crawled through her brain. Another Governor's demands - those of the now dead Grand Moff Tarkin - the machine drifting into her holding cell controlled by another black machine devoid of humanity… Those remorseless black machines… one illegal, concocted by twisted Imperial scientists in defiance of every ethical code; legal and moral. It drifted over to her… Moved down… Metal limbs prepared to inject her… emotionlessly… in response to inhuman programming. All under the gaze of that hideous, expressionless black mask of the second…

Screaming… screaming… she was never to stop screaming…

Something hit her. Leia blinked and turned to see Luke staring at her. She slid down to sit against the wall. Hin ambled over. The massive, black-eyed Yuzzem bent solicitously over her. One clawed paw touched her curiously. His long, flexible snout sniffed at her.

"She'll be okay, Hin," Luke told the Yuzzem. "It's just the Empire's reputation for cruelty," he called to Grammel.

Grammel pressed up against the bars. "She's been through questioning before. She knows something," he insisted. "Who is she? Who are you? Tell me!" He pounded on the bars his fists. He braced his palms on either side of the door and bared his teeth as he panted. His tone turned soft. "Perhaps I can intercede on your behalf if you give me some information to trade with so I don't meet your inquisitor unarmed. I want off this lost world and I want that promotion Essada can grant me."

Luke shook his head at Grammel in pity.

"Who are you?" Grammel raged. "Why are you so important to an Imperial Governor? Tell me now or I'll have you slowly dismembered - urk!"

An enormous paw shot through the bars and had Grammel by the throat. With a desperate effort the Captain-Supervisor pulled free. Another paw reached after the first. The sub officer behind Grammel dropped to one knee and fired his pistol. The circular stun bolt caught Kee in the side. The Yuzzem rolled across the floor and stared through the bars with narrow eyes. Hin leaped over to his injured companion and roared at Grammel. He pounced on the bars.

Rubbing his throat, Grammel stood out of the Yuzzem's long reach, not smiling as Hin lunged for him. A huge furry hand flailed at the air centimeters away. "Captain-Supervisor, are you all right?" the sub officer asked.

Grammel massaged his neck. "Fine now, Puddra," he said to the subordinate.

Hin grabbed the bars and pulled in opposite directions, straining. Puddra's pistol rose a second time. Grammel shoved it down and shook his head, watching the Yuzzem with interest. "There's no more danger, Puddra. He can't break those bars. Not a clan of Yuzzem could."

Despite Grammel's confidence, it looked to him like Hin actually did bend one bar slightly. Then he gave up, gasping deeply. Holding the bars and shaking with rage, he gave Grammel a stare of naked hatred.

Grammel smiled. "See, I told you," he confided to the sub officer. "Go ahead and rage," Grammel told Hin pleasantly. "I'm going convince the mine director to let me disassemble you beasts. Personally." The quartet turned and left. The Yuzzem grabbed a tray off the floor and banged it sharply against the bars as they disappeared up the corridor.

Hin left the bars and walked back to check on the Princess, dropping the metal tray. Luke supported her with one arm. Hin grumbled.

"Our jailer's a real prince, isn't he?"

"I'm sorry, Luke," Leia said. He helped her to her feet. "The thought of going through an Imperial interrogation… That does it, Luke. We've got to get out of here."

The Yuzzem chittered and grunted. "Hin says if we can get them out of this cell, they can get us out of the building." Luke walked over to the cell's bars and stared at the cell entry control pad.

"If we cover the photosensitive lock with something," he mused. His gaze traveled around the cell. There were smooth trays on the floor but there was no way to attach them to one another. "Hin? Can you get a tray over the locking control?" The Yuzzem picked up a tray and stretched his arm as far as he could. The result wasn't nearly long enough to reach the pad.

Retracting his arm, Him made a few barking sounds. "Throwing it would probably bring a squad of troops our way." Hin moaned softly. "We've got to get something over that switch."

"It'll take a true master of the Force to pull that off, Luke boy."

Everyone started at the unexpected voice, especially the excitable Yuzzem. Hin made a rush toward the window. Luke got there just ahead of him.

"No, Hin, she's a friend." The Yuzzem gibbered and clacked at him, but finally moved away. Luke grabbed the bars and looked out. A wrinkled, smiling face stared brightly back at him.

"Halla! You didn't desert us after all!" Luke tried to see past her. "How are Artoo and Threepio?"

"Fine, lad. I never forget a partner. Did you tell that maggot Grammel anything about me?"

Luke paused and gave a nervous shrug. "Not exactly. He thinks we were trying to sell the crystal fragment to you."

Halla chuckled. "So that's why I wasn't brought in for questioning. Grammel always did see things through the wrong end. I reckon he's taken the fragment."

"I'm sorry." Luke looked downcast.

"Never mind, boy. We'll have the whole crystal soon enough. Soon as we get you out. You're no help to me in there."

"You've brought explosives?"

"Nothing out here but an old woman on a ledge over a forty-meter trench. What I bring is better than explosives. I bring mastery of the Force."

"Halla, you're crazy! What if you slip?"

"I'll make a small splash, Luke boy. The only way out is back the way you came."

"How are you going to get us out of here?"

Halla adjusted her precarious stance and said, "I told you I was a master of the Force. Stand aside, young man."

Not knowing what to expect, Luke did as he was told. The Princess folded her arms and looked simultaneously skeptical and anxious.

"If I can move a food tray in front of the photo plate in the corridor…" Halla took a deep breath. Her left arm extended through the cell bars and she closed her eyes. Luke felt the stirring as Halla manipulated the Force in a way he couldn't manage well. His greatest concern was, in her altered condition, Halla might lose her grip on the temple's exterior. But she remained in place as if frozen there. Her brow contorted as she strained.

Luke heard a gasp. He spun around and saw the Princess pointing. One of the metal food trays had risen off the floor several inches. It drifted lazily in the air, moving toward the bars. Luke looked back at Halla. He wouldn't have believed it if he had not seen it for himself. Levitation was not a skill he'd mastered.

Sweating, face twisted with the effort, Halla moved the tray, turned it on an angle to match the bars, and slipped it into the corridor. Halla hardly breathed, her entire being thrown into the tremendous effort she made.

"Boy," came the echo of the old woman's voice, "you've got to help." Her eyes were still closed.

"I can't, Halla."

"I can lift that thing, but I ain't got the control." The tray dipped and stood on a corner.

"I-I'll try."

Luke shut his eyes and concentrated on the tray, ignoring the cell, ignoring the Princess, ignoring everything but the tray, trying to will it with his mind.

 _Concentrate_ , a familiar voice said.

"Ben," Luke whispered softly. His breath trembled.

 _Let the Force flow through you. Relax. Remember how I taught you. You cannot force the Force_.

Luke let pleasant thoughts and images leak into his mind. His strain and worry evaporated. In an instant, like an invisible appendage, Luke felt the energy flow between him and the tray, combining with Halla's efforts. The tray lifted firmly to its former height and continued at a rapid pace. It reached the control, turned itself flat to the wall and covered the photo plate. A click sounded. In the middle of the cell bars, an ellipsoid opening appeared.

Halla let out a long, slow sigh and wavered, holding the base of the window. She and Luke lowered the tray quietly to the floor.

First through the gap were the two Yuzzem. The Princess embraced Luke with a smile. "You did it."

"I had a good teacher." He turned back to the window. "Are you all right, Halla?"

"I will be. Thanks, kid. Your control is good."

"Not as good as your guidance," he responded gently. "You showed me I have so much to learn. But, I've been lucky. I've had good teachers."

"C'mon, Luke," the Princess urged.

Halla reached through the bars and patted Luke's hand. "You're kind, Luke boy. Now listen. There's a big garage and maintenance yard nearby. Turn right when you exit this mausoleum. Go past the prefab administrative co-ops and you'll hit a small, adjusted stream. Turn right again and follow the stream past a few more large buildings all the way to the depot. The garage is a big structure on the immediate left. Me an' the 'droids will meet you there."

"What happens when we get there?"

"We get us some transportation is what happens. You didn't think we were gonna walk to the crystal on this planet, did ya? I'll see you there!"

"Right," Luke acknowledged with a smile.

"Hurry!" the Princess called to him. They ran up the corridor. Loud noises reached their ears. "What's that commotion up ahead? I thought we'd sneak out of here quietly."

"There's no such thing as a subtle Yuzzem," Luke said. A violent crashing echoed down the corridor. "Sounds like they're having fun." They rounded a corner where the head of an Imperial 'droid dropped to the floor by their feet. "See what I mean?"

Hin had the 'droid's body by one leg and swung it in a wide arc, taking out three Stormtroopers as an arm and a leg detached. He then threw the remaining body at a fourth trooper, decommissioning him.

Kee had an armful of weapons collected from the troopers. Luke caught a tossed pistol, as did Leia, while the two Yuzzem armed themselves with rifles.

* * *

Grammel rushed into the corridor with several troops at his heels. "What the double moons is happening in here?"

"The Yuzzem broke out of their cell," the troop sergeant reported.

Grammel made a growling sound deep in his throat. "The boy and the girl… They're becoming more trouble than they're worth."

Laser fire erupted in their direction, pelting the stone wall with miniature red explosions. Puddra took Grammel's right arm and dropped to his knee next to the corridor wall. "Get down, sir!" the sub officer yelled frantically to him as smoke billowed through the air.

"Puddra, you incompetent idiot!" Grammel roared. "Can't you see they're more interested in escaping?" Pulling a pistol from its holster, the Captain-Supervisor grabbed the sergeant and pointed the gun toward the communications center. "Get in there and tell them to secure every exit. No one goes in or out of this complex until I give my personal clearance."

"Yes, Captain-Supervisor!"

* * *

Kee dashed toward a far doorway where it only took a few seconds for him to flatten the metal barrier into the communications center. As personnel dove for cover, Grammel's sergeant fired his pistol at Kee. The Yuzzem fired his rifle wildly and somewhat blindly. He used his massive empty hand demolish instrumentation.

The sergeant backed. He ducked a swipe of claws at his helmeted head and narrowly pulled his stomach back to miss a follow up swing. Kee hooked his legs, the sergeant crashing to his back. Shooting a steady stream of laser bolts into a main control bank, Kee got his hand under the trooper, hooked him up, and tossed him through the air. Sailing upside down, the sergeant slammed into the wall and slid down, landing on his head where he collapsed in a motionless heap.

Luke charged in. "We've got to get out of here, Kee!"

An energy bolt exploded into the wall near Luke's head. Dropping to one knee, he whirled and fired his pistol, taking out an Imperial trooper down the corridor. Leia caught another in the midsection. "The regulars are approaching," she said.

Luke pressed against the wall. "Come on, Hin, we're a little outnumbered." Hin bared sharp canines, at the troopers. A bolt broke stone above them and he returned fire.

The hallway filled with Imperial soldiers. "Come on, Leia!" Luke retreated. Under his covering fire, she ran to join him. Then the two of them covered the Yuzzem.

At the far end, Captain-Supervisor Grammel, Puddra, and a small squad of troops joined the fight.

Kee emerged from the communications room. A tremendous explosion shattered the wall behind him. Blue-white clouds and flame billowed out, fogging the corridor and adjoining area. "A smoke screen," Luke said. "Perfect!"

Hin handed Luke a surprise. "My lightsaber! Where'd you find it?" An explosion drowned out the Yuzzem's chittering. Luke fastened the heirloom to his belt. Hin and Kee took the lead as they ran away from the fray.

* * *

Jogging through smoke with his troops, Grammel held his pistol in both hands. He paused at the end of the corridor.

Puddra took point position, training his gun for potential targets. The four prisoners had fled the area.

In their wake, they left behind a destroyed communications center and several flattened Stormtroopers. Eyes scanning the carnage, the Captain-Supervisor frowned deeply. His gun lowered. "The guards better have the exit secured or I'll have their heads!"


	8. Chapter 7

**VII**

Luke threw up a hand. The four would-be escapees slowed to a halt. "Exit's that way," Luke pointed around the corner. Double transparent doors lead to the now-attractive damp jungle growth outside. An unarmored soldier worked at a computer station near the entryway.

"He's not alone." The Princess nodded to the two guards flanking the exit. Each was armed with heavy explosives and a brace of heavy rifles.

"I don't think the alarm's been sounded yet," Luke muttered.

"That won't last long," the Princess said.

Hin and Kee exchanged glances. Hin grunted and Kee nodded in reply.

"We need a diversion," Luke said.

Luke and Leia jumped at the sound of an ear-splitting shriek. Waving gangly arms and brandishing rifles the two Yuzzem charged around the corner like a hirsute hurricane.

While the tactic was unrefined, it worked. The sight of the two giants bearing down on them momentarily paralyzed all three guards. That was all the time they needed.

Hin was on the first guard before he could raise his heavy weapon. It fired, blasting a gaping hole in the floor. Hin pounded the armored man against the wall.

The Imperial behind the computer station slapped at a switch he missed twice. Kee pulled the entire station and communications console right out of the floor in a shower of yellow sparks and brought it crashing down on the terrified sub officer.

Luke and Leia charged from their alcove. "I've got to admit, two shrieking, charging Yuzzem make a pretty good diversion," Luke said.

The second guard unlimbered his heavy weapon and took aim at the nearest rampaging Yuzzem.

"Kee, look out!" Luke yelled. A bolt of energy ionized the air above the Yuzzem and exploded against the far wall. Luke dropped the guard with one burst from his pistol.

The Princess reached the double doors. She frantically tried the release pad. "Luke! The exit's been sealed to manual release. We need an override code."

Luke fumbled at the body of the soldier he'd shot. Four smooth, hand-sized canisters were attached to the utility belt. He carefully removed them.

Hin yanked the helmet off the other downed trooper. Placing it over his fist, he began punching at the transparent doors. Despite the Yuzzem's enormous strength, the fragile-looking material refused to crack.

"That's transparasteel, Hin," Luke informed him. "You'll never break through. Get everyone back and I'll blow it open."

Together with the two Yuzzem, Leia rushed to take cover. Luke twisted a dial on top of the canister. He placed it at the junction of the double doors and ran to rejoin his companions.

The blast gave the feeling that lightning had struck behind them. Green fire flared around the corner and instantly faded to acrid smoke. When they peered around the wall, they saw both doors and a portion of the temple's foundation had vanished.

"They've improved those things," Luke said.

The Princess didn't wait for the smoke to dissipate. She picked her way toward freedom through steaming rubble. Hin and Kee followed close behind.

A shot passed over Luke's head. He ducked and hesitated. Leia paused, looked back, and waved anxiously. "Come on, Luke. Reinforcements have arrived."

"You go ahead. I'm going stall them." Luke kneeled on the floor while bolts struck the stone around him. He activated three remaining canisters. One bolt struck dangerously close, making him blink. Rapidly, Luke rolled each canister back down the corridor. He rose and sprinted after his companions.

* * *

Grammel came up to the corridor and squinted, peering through the haze. He turned around. Puddra and a small squad of Stormtroopers slowly inched toward the Captain-Supervisor. "Come on, you slackers!"

He turned back and stopped short as the canisters came bouncing and rolling innocently toward them. Troops dove while Grammel and Puddra ran as fast as they could back the way they'd came.

* * *

Luke passed through the blown doorway and threw himself to the ground, placing both arms over his head. Three titanic explosions erupted inside the temple. A brilliant yellow-orange fireball curled up into the sky. Shards of metal and stone whipped past Luke's head.

When debris stopped falling, Luke scrambled to his feet and ran. Leia and the Yuzzem left their hiding place behind trees and rushed to meet him. "That ought to slow down their pursuit," Luke quipped.

The entire entrance of the temple collapsed. Smoke and flame roared from cracks in the walls and roof. Sirens and alarms sounded from within the town.

Moving at a fast trot, they found a small trench of water. "This must be the stream," Leia said. "Let's hope Halla didn't panic and leave without us."

* * *

Standing inside the shadows of the entrance of the garage, Halla kept scanning the woods. "Damn! Where are those kids?" The sky glowed. "Hope they didn't get caught in that conflagration." She scanned the surrounding area. The maintenance yard was large, littered with mining machinery and transports in various stages of breakdown.

See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo waited near barrel-shaped canisters stacked along the wall. Artoo let off a series of beeps. Leia and Luke emerged from the woods first. "Here come Master Luke and Princess Leia at last." The Yuzzem emerged next. Threepio's body jolted. "Oh my! A pair of slavering monstrosities is pursuing them! We're doomed! Artoo, why don't you do something?"

"It's okay, Threepio," Luke said, "they're with us. These are Hin and Kee, a couple of Yuzzem." Artoo beeped querulously. "I know they look ferocious, Artoo, but they helped us escape." Artoo whistled.

Halla smiled at Luke. "What did you do back there, boy?" From the general direction of the temple headquarters, a faint explosion echoed a footnote to her comment. "Sounds like the mine's going in on itself."

"Just delayed them." A louder explosion made them all wince. A pillar of yellow flame lit the night sky, piercing the mist. "Maybe overdid it a little."

Halla laughed and patted his back. "Enough chitchat. You can be sure they'll be lookin' for us real soon." She led them inside the open garage. A line of massive shapes was parked inside. Halla walked to an open vehicle mounted on multiple bloated wheels. "Let's get aboard this buggy and go."

Using metal rungs on the side, Halla pulled herself up and in and took position behind the driving controls. Luke and Leia followed while the Yuzzem climbed in near the back. Hin picked up Artoo who whistled loudly while Kee picked up Threepio. "Oh, do be careful or you might damage my circuits." Once on the solid floor, Threepio choose a seat.

"I picked out a right nice crawler for us. Plenty handy on this misbegotten mud ball planet. Artoo, start 'er up."

The stubby Detoo unit trundled forward with a happy sounding whistle. Extending an arm, Artoo locked into a socket and began turning the concentric dials. The engine rumbled to life immediately.

"Occasionally, Artoo's useful for something," Threepio said.

"Are you sure you can drive this thing?" the Princess inquired.

"I learn fast." Halla pulled down on a shifting lever. The crawler leaped forward with startling acceleration for so bulky a vehicle.

* * *

Standing guard near the entrance of a tall perimeter fence along the front side of the compound, two Imperial sub officers watched the glowing sky in the direction of the temple. "Codou, I'll bet you half a pay period that was the reactor."

"Top brass would've recalled us by now. Too much danger of fallout -"

"You hear that?" Codou asked, his head snapping toward the interior of the yard.

"Now you got the jitters, Nollis."

"I tell you, I heard an engine start up."

"You think the Empire leaves keys in these buckets?"

The crawler driven by Halla charged out of the garage entrance, knocking over a line of stacked canisters. She pulled the wheel hard over. The Imperial guards' eyes bulged. "Look out!" Nollis yelled. They dove out of the way as the transport smashed through the fence and sped off into bog and jungle.

Halla raised her left fist in the air as she looked back at the yard. "Ya-hooo! Take that ya goose-steppin' gravel maggots!" Luke and Leia gripped the side of the vehicle so tightly, their knuckles turned white. Barreling along, Halla zipped past trees, bushes, and swamp with reckless disregard for whether solid ground or bottomless peat was under the crawler's wheels. She flipped on the vehicle's multiple fog lamps, breaking the total darkness. "Hang on, girls 'n' 'droids. I'm pointin' us in the direction of the Temple of Pomojema and the Kaiburr Crystal."

A querulous chittering sounded behind them. "Hin and Kee want to know if there's anything to eat onboard," Luke said.

"Never heard of a Yuzzem that wasn't always hungry," Halla replied. She turned in the seat and pointed toward the rear of the vehicle. "There's a big storage locker in back. Full of grub and weapons." She wore a smug grin. "I thoroughly checked through the yard before settling on this mud-mauler." The Yuzzem opened the locker and pulled out ration packages.

"How far is it to the temple?"

"In this crawler, a week to ten days' travel. Tops."

Luke leaned forward. "You mean the temple is that close to the mine and no one has investigated it?"

"There are thousands of native temples about. 'Sides, Pomojema was a fairly minor god as they go."

Luke sat back. "Is it anything like the temple Grammel used for a headquarters?"

"Nobody knows. Not even the greenie. No one's ever seen the temple of Pomojema. The natives who built the temples had thousands of gods and deities, each with their own sanctuary. According to the records I saw, Pomojema was supposed to give his priests some kinda miraculous healing powers or some such."

"The Kaiburr Crystal might be the basis of those stories," Luke said. "Halla, Grammel contacted an Imperial Governor named Essada. He's sending a representative here. We have to find the crystal before the Imperial representative arrives on Mimban. If the Empire gets hold of the crystal, it will be turned to destruction, not healing. And if we can't escape with it, we'll have to destroy it."

"Seven years, boy," Halla said. "Seven years I've been after that rock. I can't rightly promise that if found, I'll be ready to bust it into dust. No one's ever accused me of being altruistic."

Luke leaned forward. "What are you, Halla?"

She looked back and broke into a wide, toothy smile. "I'm ambitious, boy. That's enough for you to know."

"Halla," the Princess leaned closer, "do you know what kind of metal the Empire is digging out of this planet?"

"Dolovite. Been doin' it since the end of the Clone Wars."

Leia's face went pale. Her mouth gaped slightly.

"What does the Empire use dolovite for, Leia?" Luke asked.

"Remember the Death Star schematics? When they were thoroughly analyzed, we learned dolovite iron was essential in shielding the hypermatter reactor core and the focusing dish of the Death Star superweapon."

Luke and Halla both took pause. "If the Empire's mining dolovite," Luke began.

"There's no telling what they're building next," Leia finished for him. Halla's cheeks puffed as she exhaled softly. "Luke, we have to destroy the mines." Leia's brown eyes were pleading. "Halla…"

"Look, kids, I don't know how much help I can be to you, but I do know this much. Grammel's instillation is the main. It controls all five of the mines on this mud ball. They operate all the really big equipment remotely from this side of Mimban. You knock out Grammel and you cripple all the other mines right along with it."

"We have to destroy those mines," Luke said.

"Old Halla here's not an army," the old woman snapped. She exhaled loudly. Then swallowed. "I want to help. I do. But I got to think about this real careful like. We find the crystal first. Then we worry about the mines."


	9. Chapter 8

**VIII**

"I replaced the muscle and heat-sealed the bone," the Doctor said, pulling rubber gloves from her hands. She wore the same uniform as Grammel and sub officer Puddra, who stood off to the side with arms folded behind his back. Her black hair was pulled back into tight bun. She lay the gloves on a cart next to the seat where Grammel sat. "There's no permanent nerve damage, so your new arm should be as good as the old in a few days."

While holding a data pad in his left hand, Grammel turned his right hand over and over, flexing his fingers and making a fist. "You'll never sweat from that arm again," the Doctor continued, placing a bone welder into its case, "nor will your hair grow back." She then wiped her instruments clean with a white rag and set them on a tray.

What hair the Captain-Supervisor retained fell in a line across the top of his skull down to the left. The right side of his head looked as if someone had cut him open with a saw and glued his flesh back together. A long swath from above the temple to the edge of his eye and ear and down to the jaw had a butchered appearance. The skin was slightly redder in color and blotched.

With an exploratory hand, the doctor reached out and touched the right side of Grammel's face. "How is your hearing on this side?"

"Adequate," Grammel replied curtly. "You're an efficient mechanic, Doctor. You'll be suitably rewarded."

"There is a way to do that," she said with her back to Grammel while she made notes in a computer log.

"What would you like?"

"Show a little mercy. Don't execute those troopers because the prisoners got away."

"A surprising request for a reward," Grammel mused. "No," he added somberly, "I suppose it's not. Not coming from you. They're incompetent at best."

"Unlucky," the doctor countered firmly. "Two Yuzzem with human aid are a difficult combination."

"What's troubling me is they had to have help. The escape was too clean, especially for a pair of strangers."

"One of the men insisted a Jedi Master was involved."

"That certainly changes things," Grammel said, rubbing his chin. "But you haven't given me a legitimate reason for canceling the execution. Bot, my personal aid, was killed," Grammel grunted. "He deserved better."

"A few of those soldiers are permanently maimed," the Doctor reported, "and some of the others are scarred psychologically. Your resources on Mimban are far from limitless, Captain-Supervisor. If you intend to search the regions around all five outposts -"

"I'm going to need every ambulatory body I have," Grammel finished.

"Compassion makes men work harder than fear."

"Your evaluation of my resources is quite accurate." Grammel nodded at Puddra. He turned and exited the room.

"You'll countermand the execution order?" the Doctor asked.

"I have no choice. One cannot argue with figures."

"We all do what we have to, Captain-Supervisor." Grammel grunted softly, gave a slight nod, and exited the infirmary. The Doctor smiled, continuing her task of logging medical information into the computer.

* * *

Sliding out of hyperspace, the _Millennium Falcon_ rotated along its flight path avoiding slower traffic near a circular station. Three saucers linked to a central disk at equilateral points forming a metropolitan cityscape protected by enormous domes on the ventral surface. "This is Circarpousian Traffic Control," a voice filled the cockpit. "Please identify and state the nature of your business."

"This is Captain Solo of the _Millennium Falcon_. I was sent by Senator Mon Mothma to make contact with Dillinger Du'Tarc."

"Any cargo or passengers to declare."

"Just my Wookie co-pilot, Chewie." Chewbacca made a slight howling sound.

Passing the mammoth station, Han approached Circarpous IV. A partial grid of artificial rings rimmed the planet, serviced by space elevators reaching up in thin tendrils from the planet's surface.

"We're sending you a homing signal now, Captain Solo. Proceed to your designated landing coordinates."

"Much obliged. Okay, Chewie, let's take 'er in."

Swooping through Circarpous IV's ring systems and atmosphere, the _Falcon_ flew high over a heavily populated area where skyscrapers bristled into the sky like the serrated edges of knives and the points of massive needles. The beacon led them to a gigantic circular structure with a sparkling geodesic dome. Han set the _Falcon_ down on an empty pad.

As he and Chewbacca started across the walkway, Han noted the air was fresher than expected for such a large city. Marble stairs flanked by potted shrubbery led to elevated repulsion lifted platforms where parts of the city floated on higher planes than some of the smaller structures below. Long rectangular panels of glass inlaid the floors while fountains of water decorated several of the landings.

A tall, thin man wearing a long white coat with graying hair and a bushy mustache accompanied by four guards greeted the pair at the landing center's perimeter. "Captain Solo?"

"The one and only," Han smiled. "Dillinger Du'Tarc, I presume."

Du'Tarc nodded and smiled. He held his arm out. "This way, please."

While they walked, Han stole a long look over the city and the criss-cross lanes of ariel traffic. "Looks like you're as populated as some of the capital planets in the Inner Core."

"The entire Circarpous system, perhaps. This is the largest city on this planet."

"Looks like whichever side of the conflict Circarpous aligns itself with would be an advantage over the other."

* * *

Stepping out of a turbo-lift, Han, Chewbacca, and Du'Tarc were met with a large sand colored auditorium lined with huge white vats containing large green plants. Scattered groups of humans and humanoids talked quietly, paying no attention to the trio of new arrivals. "These are the leaders and representatives of pocket resistance groups from across this system. In addition, close trading partners from nearby star systems have sent their people here as well."

"Can you trust them?" Han asked scanning one rugged looking group dressed in military style fatigues, then sizing up another that looked much more cosmopolitan wearing formal dress.

"There are no known agents of the Empire here, Captain. However, they are anxious to have a proper conference. The absence of Senator Organa is cause for great concern."

"Luke and the Princess were flying in snub ships. Did any outer system tracking stations pick them up on their scopes?"

"I'm afraid our tracking systems aren't calibrated to craft that small," Du'Tarc said. Chewbacca rumbled softly. "In all likely hood, they would have been missed."

Slowly, they walked along the circular wall behind the seating area lined by long ivy-like vines. "When Chewie plotted our jump out of hyperspace into this system, he noted you have three access apertures. Two are heavily used."

"Yes. One, obviously, for all the traffic here on Circarpous IV. The second would be near XIV in the outer part of the system."

"And the other one?"

"The third is a supply line to support a colony on V."

"I'm sure the Princess wanted to attract as little attention as possible. Could they have been tracked coming in at V?"

Just as Du'Tarc was about to answer, a human female with thick, long brown hair walked up to him. She wore a white flight suit with orange pin stripes along the sleeves and pant legs. Du'Tarc shifted his attention to her, smiling warmly as he took her hands into his. "Bexen, it's so good to see you, my dear." He nodded to Han. "I'd like you to meet Captain Solo and Chewbacca. Captain Solo, this is Bexen Trimmelette, leader of a rebel cell on XIV."

Bexen extended her hand to Han and shook his firmly. "Captain. It's a pleasure."

Han smiled. "Yes, it is," he said. Chewbacca made a soft sound behind him.

Turning her attention back to Du'Tarc, Bexen said, "Now that the Senator has arrived, the conference can begin."

"No, Bexen, you misunderstand. Senator Organa hasn't arrived. Captain Solo is here to investigate her delay."

As she looked at Han, Bexen's smile and bubbly demeanor relaxed. "If she doesn't make an appearance soon, I'm not sure we'll be able to secure commitments from the other leaders. They're getting restless."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Chewie and I aren't leaving until we figure out what happened." The Wookie growled his support.

A soft chiming sounded. Dillinger raised his right arm and pulled back his sleeve. He wore a silver wrist computer and quickly read a message. "If you two will excuse me, I must attend to business in the Prime Minister's office. Captain Solo, Bexen, I will return as quickly as I can." He smiled and spun away, retracing his path back to the turbo-lift.

Han motioned to a table near the back of the auditorium and pulled a chair back for the young woman. "So, how does someone put something like this together?" he asked, taking a seat. Chewbacca opted for leaning against a support beam behind Han, crossing his furry arms over his abdomen.

"With all the unrest the Empire's created recently, it wasn't really all that difficult."

"But, you got them all here. And you're sure there's no spies, right?" Bexen nodded. Han made a slight shrug. "Why not go the full distance? Why not join the Rebellion? I mean, if the Empire swept into this system right now, all they'd have to do is send in a legion of troops to this building." His fingers spread as he tilted his head slightly. "Their problem would be solved."

"One of the main concerns is funding."

"Money? That's all?"

"Well, it's needed to feed and clothe the resistance. Not to mention pay for weapons and ships. The small cells in this system have no money to sustain long-term objectives. They're looking for real help and real backing."

"Funding isn't a problem," Han said. "There are a lot of wealthy core worlds that are a part of the Alliance. Worlds like Corellia and Mon Calamari, for example. They both have a large fleet of capital ships."

"But out here, in the outer rim, people want more than a display of power. They want a symbol of hope. When the Death Star destroyed Alderaan, the ripple of fear was felt much more strongly in the outer rim. Everyone knew without a doubt they were nothing more than dust under the Emperor's feet left to the mercy of his Grand Moffs. So, when news reached us of the Death Star's destruction and Senator Organa's survival, people suddenly had something to pin their hopes upon. They knew if she could escape death, there just might be a chance for them. She's the humane face of our collective struggles. The Empire gave a demonstration of power. But the human spirit survived. That is why getting Senator Organa here is key to the survival of the movement in this system." Bexen looked across her shoulder at a few of the groups seated around the large chamber. "Some of them will not join unless the Princess herself shows." Bexen's large blue eyes locked on Han's. "By proxy, she is now their Princess."

* * *

The wedge shaped craft leaped out of hyperspace near orbital traffic surrounding Circarpous IV. At two hundred meters in length, the ship was far less massive than a Star Destroyer, however, it size and reminiscent shape were equally as imposing.

The bridge of the Vigil-Class Corvette rose over the body with a flat, rectangular shape crowned by a communications dish to the port side. At key points on the hull, weapons turrets lay in wait.

Standing on the bridge with his left arm behind him was the bloated figure of an Imperial Grand Moff. Drifting near the relay station, a voice broke over the bridge's public address. " _Nullifier_ , we are receiving your transponder signal. Please identify."

Essada spoke, his high-pitched voice breaking across the Corvette's deck. "This is Grand Moff Essada from the territorial planet Gyndine. Alert Prime Minister V'Litizer of my arrival. I will be meeting with him momentarily."

"Acknowledged, Governor."

The _Nullifier_ slid over the artificial rings orbiting the planet like gathering storm clouds. Minutes later, it dwarfed skyscrapers and adjoining garden decks as it floated over the capital city. At the spaceport, Essada's personal transport locked into docking clamps with a deep thud. Steam hissed and a hatch slid open. The Governor marched out onto a platform followed by a compliment of four troopers.

* * *

Essada and his troops entered the Prime Minister's office. Towering windows allowed sunlight to flood the spacious room where long white drapes contrasted thick red carpeting. Guards dressed in white holding lances stood around the perimeter of the chamber. The Imperials approached a strangely curved glass table where an elder man wearing a long white coat slowly rose, greeting Essada with a reverent bow. "Grand Moff Essada," the Prime Minister spoke with a soft, sandpaper-like voice, "this is an unexpected pleasure." He made a gesture to Du'Tarc at his right. "My personal attaché, Dillinger Du'Tarc."

"Prime Minister V'Litizer. Attaché Du'Tarc." Essada's mouth curled into a smile as he made the slightest of nods. "I came to discuss Circarpous joining the Empire."

Slowly edging around the table, the Prime Minister and Du'Tarc paused before the hulking Imperial. "I should suspect such proceedings to take place under more formal circumstances," V'Litizer said. He led them to a table where tall carafes of liquid rested with large bowl shaped glasses.

"I see no reason to delay any dialogue," Essada replied with a clipped tone.

The Prime Minister gave a slight nod. "Perhaps you would care for something to drink." He poured a copper colored liquid into a large glass and passed it to Essada.

The Governor held the bowl of the cup with his right hand upturned and gingerly sampled the drink's bouquet. "Lovely," he said.

"You will only be served the very best here, Governor."

Essada took a healthy gulp of the fluid and tilted his head, holding the glass up. "Indeed."

"Perhaps you can begin by explaining why it is so beneficial for Circarpous to join the Empire," V'Litizer said.

Essada took another drink and stood before a towering window, looking out across the busy city. The massive form of his Corvette was easily seen a short distance away. "The benefits are seemingly limitless," he began. The Governor turned to face the Prime Minister and his Attaché. "Circarpous will have access to a fully funded and infinite banking system. You will never experience a shortage of supplies, a problem rife in some of the farthest reaching territories."

"That has never been a problem for Circarpous," V'Litizer smiled. "We are self-sufficient and self-sustaining."

"The ravages of war have a way of changing the fortunes of a great many worlds, my dear Prime Minister."

Pursing his lips, the Prime Minister's head dipped. "True. But there is no war in our humble system. Unless it's a war you bring with you."

Essada's eyes narrowed slightly. He took a final drink and set the glass on the serving table. "If the Rebellion came to your system looking for your aid to their cause," Essada shrugged, "they could very well bring war with them. By joining the Empire, I can guarantee your planet and your entire system will have the most generous protection from any hostiles."

"Can you?"

"Yes," Essada said, almost too quickly. "I will bring you into Gyndine's inner fold. You will enjoy any favors granted by the Empire given by me personally." Essada smiled, holding his right fingers spread across his breastbone.

"A most generous offer," the Prime Minister said. He turned, walking back toward his table.

Essada stood straighter, pulling his uniformed down taught. "You seem disinterested, Prime Minister V'Litizer."

"To my knowledge, the Empire has already established a small presence in this system, one not officially on record, and one the government of Circarpous IV chooses to ignore for the sake of peace. You have a dolovite energy-mining colony of Circarpous V. We have no rebels."

Essada's face broke into a wide grin. He chuckled some, then laughed for a moment. "Oh, but, Prime Minister… My dear, dear, Prime Minister." Essada's brow's lowered and his smile melted. "You do have rebels. Yes, you do. I know for a fact there are two rebels being held in one of the mining colonies on Circarpous V. Two very highly sought after rebels."

The Prime Minister shifted his eyes off Essada, sitting and folding his hands in his lap. Essada placed the palms of his hands on the table's ornately curved edge and leaned his bulk down until his fingers turned red. "It's no stretch for me to believe someone will come looking for them, which will bring the conflict right into your system. And with suspected rebel activity," the governor said, "it would be rather unfortunate to Circarpous' interests if I was forced to leave a blockade in place to prevent any future tension."

V'Litizer's eyes drifted up to meet Essada's beady orbs. He then glanced at Du'Tarc.

* * *

Han, Chewbacca, and Bexen stood around a holographic map of the Circarpous system. "You got your flanks covered," Han said pointing at XIV and IV. He smiled at Bexen. "For a group not sure about joining the Alliance, I'm impressed. I know some Rebel generals who could learn a few things about strategy from you."

Du'Tarc stepped up to the other side of the projector. "I have grave news," he said quickly. "Senator Organa and her escort are being held by Imperials at a mining colony on V."

Bexen and Han stared at Dillinger. "When did the Empire start mining in this system?" Bexen asked.

Du'Tarc's face looked pale. "I cannot say for sure. I just learned about it myself."

"What are they mining?" Han spoke up.

"Dolovite," Dillinger said.

"Oh no," Han said softly, stealing a glance at Chewbacca. The Wookie growled softly.

"What's wrong?' Bexen asked.

"Dolovite was used to shield the hypermatter reactor in the Death Star. If the Empire's digging it out of V, there's no telling what they're building next." Han stared almost blankly at the young rebel leader. Han turned to Dillinger. "How do you know Luke and Leia's there?"

"An Imperial Governor, Grand Moff Essada. He's here. Now. Trying to pressure the Prime Minister into joining the Empire. He knows about your friends and has threatened to set up a blockade."

"If he knows about the Princess…"

"What?" Bexen asked.

"This isn't good." Chewbacca growled and roared some. "Chewie's right. If the Empire knows about Luke and Leia, they'll suspect more rebel activity and send in a strike force. You can expect all kinds of company coming into this system. The wrong kind." Chewbacca growled again. "Right, pal. As soon as they start checking ship registrations from traffic control, they'll know we're here, too." Bexen and Du'Tarc exchanged glances and waited. "We're pretty high up on the Empire's hit list."

Du'Tarc sighed, lowering his head. He looked at Bexen. "You'd better mobilize your forces."

"But the conference," Bexen protested.

"Look," Han cut in, "as soon as the Empire shows up, you'll never get better motivation for joining the Rebellion."

Bexen hesitated and looked at the elder man who nodded slowly. "He's right," Du'Tarc said softly. "I'll ready our operatives here."

Looking at Han, Bexen said, "Escort me out to XIV. We'll assemble a rescue party and save the Senator."

"Does this mean -"

"The Circarpous underground is officially joining the Alliance."

* * *

As morning sunlight crept through the jungle mists, Luke slid into the seat alongside Halla. "You said seven days," Luke ventured.

"To ten," she admitted amiably. "Seven days to ten." Halla kept her attention on the ground ahead of them. Great trees with down-curving branches hung close. Halla negotiated a winding path around the thick boles.

Leia rested on the cushioned seat behind them, gnawing on an oblong piece of red-skinned fruit with purple ovals on its surface. "Maybe the Mimbanite told you what you wanted to hear to ensure you'd give him his bottle. Maybe the temple's a month away, or maybe it doesn't even exist."

"We did have a piece of crystal as proof," Luke pointed out. He stared off into the damp greenery.

"The crystal is our first priority. Second, we have to destroy the mine. Then Halla helps us get off this planet and back to the Alliance."

"I want nothin' to do with the Rebels. I'm no outlaw."

"We're not outlaws!" Leia exclaimed. "We're revolutionaries. And reformers."

"Political outlaws, then," Halla shot back.

"The Empire is staffed by a bunch of thugs."

The old woman grinned back at Leia. "I'm no philosopher, girl, and I lost any martyr complex I might've had forty years ago."

Princess Leia closed her eyes, shook her head, and raised her palms. "The Alliance will give you whatever reward you wish, Halla, if you help us."

"I didn't say I wouldn't get you back there. I'll do my best for you two."

An abrupt lurch jostled everyone toward the left side of the crawler. Halla threw all six wheels into reverse. They all leaned over the driver's side of the transport. The forward wheel settled into something with the consistency of pudding.

"Oh dear," Threepio said, "we're sinking."

"Don't get yer cogs in an uproar, tin-pot," Halla said. She pointed out across the unstable area. "There's a firmer path through this bog just over yonder." Halla shifted and turned. The multi-wheel drive and powerful engine pulled them clear. Halla drove onto a pale plot of ground lying between patches of the treacherous sludge. Running forward, the crawler pushed on over firmer ground.

"You hafta be alert every second on Mimban," Halla said. "This's a crazy planet where the ground itself is your worst enemy." As if in response, the ground trembled beneath them. Luke frowned and peered over the side.

"I'll say," the Princess agreed as she looked over her side. "The ground underneath us seems to be shifting. Just how stable is this region?"

"First you want me to be a philosopher. Now a seismologist," quipped Halla. "You know as much as I do, child. There are no volcanoes hereabouts -"

She froze, barely retaining enough sense to bring the crawler to a halt.

The firm, winding path they were traveling had risen abruptly in front of them. It turned back on itself. Multiple gigantic black lodes stared at them quizzically while whisker-like appendages drooped around the sides of its face.

"Force preserve us!" Halla yelped. She rotated the driver's wheel hard over.

"Turn around. Turn around!" Threepio blurted.

"What'dya think I'm doing, dim-bulb?"

Halla spun the crawler on its central global wheel and raced back the way they'd come. The ground continued to turn and followed them. Pale cream in color, with streaks of brown and veins of purple, the snake-like colossus possessed nothing resembling a normal eye. Instead, the blunt end curling back at them boasted a score of haphazardly spaced dull black spots like the eyes of a spider. It bumped into trees sending scores of birds frantically skyward.

A ragged tear below the black orbs was the only other recognizable feature. It split, revealing jet-black teeth set in concentric circles lining an endless pink gullet.

"What is that thing?" Leia asked, eyes wide.

"It's a wandrella. We're finished!"

The Yuzzem chattered madly, firing rifles at the great hulk with as little accuracy as effect. They left thin black streaks on the anemic-looking flesh but didn't penetrate deeply enough to cause any real damage. Luke had his own pistol out and working, as did the Princess. Their bolts glanced off harmlessly.

The great blunt head followed the crawler, plowing over trees and brush. They traveled on firm ground now and not on the monster's back. Whole trees snapped off as the probing head lunged after them, trailed by the great white train of the wandrella's gargantuan bulk.

Thick sucking sounds issued from beneath the huge mass as the creature jolted along after them. Although it traveled slowly, each time the wandrella bounced, it covered meters. And it stayed in an inexorable straight line, whereas Halla dodged trees and pools of bottomless ooze piloting the crawler.

The wandrella drew so close that Luke and the others gathered desperately in the front compartment. "It can't feel anything," Luke said around a hail of laser bolts. "Aim for the eyes!"

Leia and the Yuzzem took his advice. Their shots seemed more effective. Several bolts struck a couple of the black circles, searing them badly. A dull rumble boiled up out of the creature's depths like a lingering, moaning thunder.

Ten meters of its front end lifted up and dropped like a great white tree falling in slow motion. Halla dodged as that nightmare torso plunged down at them.

Opening wide, the black maw clamped tightly around the rear of the crawler with a grip devastatingly firm for so rubbery-looking a creature. The metal body of the vehicle was crushed. As the crawler lifted into the air, Hin tossed Threepio out. "Doomed! We're all doomed!" The golden 'droid landed on his back and shook his head. Kee pitched Artoo who squealed. The squat robot bounced off his dome and tumbled over next to his companion.

Luke and Leia jumped over the left side. He landed hard, rolling to a stop. "Halla!"

He looked up as Halla leaped clear of the crawler now several meters in the air. Her arms were spread. She fell in slow motion, eyes closed tightly, until she landed softly on the ground. The Yuzzem jumped last, using their long arms to pull themselves into a series of somersaults to slow and redirect their momentum once on solid footing.

The wandrella continued to rise into the air, its opened mouth pulling the crawler into its cylindrical worm-like form, swallowing it whole.

* * *

Truly awesome was the mere sight of five wedge-shaped Star Destroyers. The colossal ship they escorted was unimaginably immense, sleekly elongated, and dwarfed the five ships guarding it.

Cutting through the blackness of the icy void like an arrow piercing the darkest of nights, the mammoth white spearhead of the Super Star Destroyer _Executor_ was a space faring metropolis a full eleven times greater in length than the flanking Star Destroyers. The engines that propelled its bulk onward spewed ions into the vacuum, mutely reverberating the _Executor_ along its colossal length.

As the _Avenger_ , _Devastator_ , _Tyrant_ , _Stalker_ , and _Conquest_ formed up their positions within the fleet, the _Executor_ made a stately passage through the vast emptiness of space. Together, these six cruisers were the most dreaded and devastating warships in the galaxy, capable of reducing to cosmic scrap anything that strayed too close to their weapons and rendering the surface of any planet uninhabitable.

The one man in whom Palpatine placed his absolute trust commanded this small armada, the _Imperial Death Squadron_ , assembled by Darth Vader and dispatched by the Emperor himself to hunt down and destroy the Rebellion.

Standing on the bridge of his personal flagship, Darth Vader towered above an Imperial officer. "Give me a status report, Captain Piett," the Dark Lord commanded.

"The _Executor_ is performing at maximum efficiency."

"How long until we arrive in the Circarpous system?"

"Estimated time of arrival is twenty-seven hours and forty-two minutes."

"Inform the Navigator if we arrive one minute after his estimate, he needn't worry about the return trip."

Captain Piett bowed slightly at the neck. "Yes, Lord Vader."

"I will countenance no further delay. I have a score to settle with Skywalker and the girl." The Dark Lord turned from the Captain with a swirl of black robes, positioning himself before the forward view port. He clasped his hands behind his stern frame. _I have a certain bauble to collect that will magnify my powers beyond all imagination…_

* * *

There were no hiding places. No mountains to climb, no caves in hillsides. They couldn't climb the trees. And they had to be cautious or seemingly solid ground would devour them as efficiently as the wandrella.

"This way!" Luke called, turning and running to his left. Leia followed.

Slightly ahead and sandwiched between Him and Kee, Halla didn't hear Luke. She and the two Yuzzem continued the way they ran.

Halla eventually slowed and looked back. The phosphorescent convoy of white slid through the mist well behind them.

She waved her arms and came to a stop, doubling over to catch her breath. "It went off in another direction," she reported, panting. Hin nodded affirmation. The trio squinted into the fog around them.

"Luke boy," Halla called, "you can come out now. It's given up on us." Insect sounds from the underbrush were all she heard. "C'mon, Luke boy. Don't be fooling old Halla like this."

Trying to help, Kee let out a stentorian bellow. Halla clamped a hand over his muzzle. She put her other hand over her own mouth and shook her head, pointing in the direction the wandrella disappeared into. Kee nodded and called much more softly through his snout for their missing companions.

Artoo whistled mournfully as he and Threepio shuffled up. The protocol 'droid was splattered with mud while several branches protruded from his joints.

"Luke," Halla called again, carefully ducking around trees and searching the jungle. "They were right behind us. I hope it didn't get them." She slowly retraced he way back to where the wandrella had veered off from chasing she and the Yuzzem.

"Maybe they're hiding under a tree somewhere," ventured Threepio.

* * *

The pale leviathan pursued Luke and Leia. "Faster, Princess! It's gaining on us!" They sprinted through thick growths of trees, breathing with difficulty. A massive circle lined with black teeth humped through bog and brush after them.

Leia stumbled over a gnarled root. Luke stopped to help her.

"I… can't keep this up… much longer, Luke."

"I know," he confessed tiredly, charging forward. "Unfortunately, it seems a hungry wandrella is a tireless wandrella."

The open maw of the titanic worm loomed behind them, a ravenous kaleidoscope of pink flesh and black spike teeth in circles of infinite regression.

"It's getting closer. Shoot it."

"I can't. I lost my pistol when we leaped out of the crawler." They cut into a small clearing. "We've got to find someplace to hide." There was a line of rocks in the misty grove. "There!"

They staggered up to an artificial construct of hexagon-shaped stones laid out around a hole in the ground. "What is it?" the Princess asked.

"Looks like a ceremonial cistern," Luke said. "Maybe it holds water for a dry season." The stone wall surrounded a pit a good nine or ten meters in circumference. Below the wall, the empty yawning gulf was of frightening depth.

The Princess got a look at the abyss and sucked in her breath. "We can't… We don't know what…"

Luke ran around the edge and called to her. "Over here!" She hurried around the side and slipped up next to him. Luke held onto the top of a vine woven ladder. He pulled up on it with all his strength. "Seems strong enough."

The wandrella crashed through trees fifteen meters away. The toothy maw opened. A low, lymph-curdling ululation issued from within the fleshy bulk.

"I'd rather die in a dark hole than be some monster's breakfast."

Luke swung himself over and started down the vine ladder. A last look at the quivering mouth hunching toward her was all it took to convince the Princess. She swung both legs over the side of the pit and started down into nothingness.

It was not quite black as night, but dark enough that Luke had to feel for each succeeding rung. He came to the spot where there was nothing below his searching foot.

He'd reached the bottom of the ladder.

"Hold it!" he called up to Leia. The slight echo of the pit gave his voice a sepulchral quality. Above, he could barely make out her frightened face as she turned to look down at him.

"What's the matter?"

"End of the line." Beyond his feet he saw unending blackness. It felt almost as if they'd hadn't descended very far at all.

Leia's hand slid across a flat surface at eye level. "There's some kind of ledge here. Come back up." Leia hefted herself over the protuberance and stepped off to the side.

Luke quickly followed. The out cropping was about a meter wide, encircling the wall. "Someone deliberately cut this out of the pit wall," Leia observed.

"If we hadn't gotten separated from Halla, I bet she could tell us who."

A loud, reverberant scraping sound from overhead killed further conversation. Pressing tight against the pit wall, they turned wide eyes upward. There was more scraping. Louder. Ominously so. Several rocks and pieces of wall fell from above and shot past Luke and Leia. They pressed themselves against unyielding stone.

A thunk sounded far below. One of the fallen stones finally hit something. Luke wasn't sure it was bottom.

Breathless, they huddled together, eyes fixed on the circle of misty sunlight above. Slowly, something slid into view. At first it looked like a sooty cloud obscuring the sun. Small sounds came from the Princess' throat. Luke was completely paralyzed. "Oh, no," he said softly.

The massive worm-head eclipsed the opening. It swung back and forth like a pendulum, moving from side-to-side, searching with senses unimaginable.

Luke spotted an opening in the pit wall at the far end of the ledge. He grabbed the Princess with one hand and pulled. She followed, her gaze frozen on the monstrosity above.

The opening was large enough to hold both of them and tall enough so they didn't have to stoop to fit inside. They stared up into the pale face of the wandrella.

Something attracted it. The great skull abruptly ceased weaving and turned downward, facing them. "It sees us!" the Princess trembled; gripping Luke's arm so hard it hurt.

With a hunching movement that filed stone and rock from the upper edge of the chasm, the head drifted lazily down toward them. Its vast mouth was agape, framing a darkness deeper than that of the pit itself.

"It's coming for us, Luke."

Luke's hand went around the hilt of his lightsaber.

A ponderous groan sounded. Larger chunks of dislodged stone fell past them and crashed against the walls below with loud booming echoes. The wandrella was less than a dozen meters above them, and still moving.

All at once the worm-thing seemed to leap down. The Princess screamed, her shriek echoing madly around the walls of the pit as Luke yanked the saber from his belt and activated it. It was a dazzling blue-white in the plutonian confines of the well.

But the wandrella didn't strike at them. Stretched too far, even for its own incredible length, it fell, rocketing past, an endless white waterfall of flesh. Leaning out, Luke and Leia saw it coiling and undulating wildly as it shrank to a dot and vanished into the abyssal depths. Echoes of the creature bouncing and bumping from wall to wall drifted up to them with steadily increasing faintness.

Luke shakily took several deep breaths. He deactivated his saber and reattached it to his belt. Leia sighed heavily. "What happened?" she asked, peering down the hole.

Dropping to his right knee and holding the edge of the ledge, Luke gazed into the darkness. "Even the wandrella wasn't infinitely long. It overextended itself trying to reach us. Its own bulk brought it down."

Where the wandrella had fallen, the walls of the pit were scraped clean, chipped away as if scoured by a huge abrasive pad. The vine ladder was gone. So was more than half the ledge.

A querulous voice bounced down the walls to them, a voice so gentle he wasn't certain he'd heard anything at all.

"Luke boy, are you down there?"

Luke and the Princess exchanged glances. He stared upward. Four figures stood at the pit's rim. Two were bewhiskered and furred. One was golden and metallic. The last was aged and crowned with wavy white hair.

"Halla?"

"Thank the Force, they're alive," Halla sighed with a hand on her heart and one on her forehead.

Excited Yuzzem chittering echoed down the shaft.

"Are you all right, Master Luke?" Threepio called down.

"We're okay, but we're trapped down here. The ladder we used went the way of the wandrella."

"There may be another way out," Halla said. Luke studied the smooth-sided interior of the pit. "Unless I miss my guess, you're in a Coway shaft, sonny. They use these old Thrella wells to access the surface. The ledge oughta lead to a passageway."

"Great," the Princess said. "We escape being worm food only to be slaughtered by another of Mimban's charming indigenous species."

"Nah, girlie. The Coway are related to the greenies, so they're real shy and peaceful like. They just live underground which is why nobody knows too much about 'em."

"Swell," Leia said. "We'll give them your regards." She went back to look at the recessed area where she and Luke were standing.

"We'll meet you at the closest Coway egress," Halla said.

There was an opening the further Leia went into the crevice. She turned back. "The old woman's right. The tunnel widens out," she checked the tracomp on her suit, "off to the east about thirty-one degrees."

"Thirty-one degrees east, Halla. We'll see you soon."

Halla turned away and flipped her hood up. The Yuzzem barked down the shaft one last time and followed her. Threepio stood at the side a moment longer. "Please be careful, sir." Artoo-Detoo rolled up to him, beeping softly.

Threepio gently tapped Halla's shoulder. "It's indeed fortunate you knew the Coway are a timid and retiring race."

The old woman snorted. "Timid my behind. If I told 'em the truth, those two would still be clingin' to that stinkin' ledge."

Threepio paused. The Yuzzem passed him. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," the 'droid said softly.


	10. Chapter 9

**IX**

Flying through the outer most reaches of the Circarpous solar system, Han Solo expertly guided the Millennium Falcon through a ring of asteroid-sized debris consisting mostly of volatile ices and scattered amounts of rock infused with metallic components. "I gotta hand it to you, Bexen," he said in the communicator, "it's pretty ingenious carving ships from stone."

A short distance ahead, one of the smaller sized chunks of debris flew not in an orbital path, but along a controlled trajectory. Bexen dove under one of the vast chunks of ice and swooped beside another, approaching a large, nearly spherical body with a surface painted with the pinks and reds of hydrocarbons. "Circarpous has always used every resource for maximum efficiency," she replied. "It only made sense to use what was available when exploration and colonization of the solar system began. The real boon comes from using the ores and ices in these asteroids as a fuel source."

To Han's right, Chewbacca reacted to a shrill alarm with a growl and flipped a few switches. "Chewie's picking up a lot of traffic."

Bexen smiled. "A few of the larger asteroids are hollowed out generational colony ships."

"With all your technical skills, you still had doubts about joining the Alliance?"

"After the Clone Wars, no one was sure which side to trust. Instead of trusting in someone else, we decided to put our faith in ourselves."

"You had to know the Empire would come back someday."

"You got me on that one, Captain Solo. Naively, we hoped they would forget about us." Bexen watched her scopes carefully, her helmeted face aglow in the reflection of orange and yellow screens on the control counsel. "Don't stray from our flight path here on in. There are a lot of mines in this area."

"Thanks for the warning. Keep 'er straight, Chewie." The Wookie barked back, getting a smile from Han.

Bexen's elongated ship weaved past giant metal sentinels with spines jutting out from cylindrical bodies. Spinning through the mines, Han followed her to the surface of a small moon orbiting Circarpous XIV. They dove into a large crater where a huge metal door split apart in multiple layers, granting them access to the subsurface interior.

Landing in a docking bay awash in white light, the two ships gently touched down. As Han and Chewbacca walked toward the stone ship, Bexen carefully exited from a dorsal hatch, leaving her helmet in the compartment above her head. "This way to the command center," she said, picking a path between ships to a ladder leading up to a series of raised platforms.

"Any ideas about how we're going to approach V so we don't tip off the Imperials?"

"We'll come in from the far side of the planet," Bexen said mounting the ladder. "If we use one of the asteroid ships and slip into a decaying orbit, we should be able to drop far enough away from the settlement so that no one will suspect anything." She reached the top. "When we get to the Imperial installation, we'll break out the heavy artillery."

Han mounted the deck with a crooked grin. "I like the way you think."

* * *

Luke and the Princess followed the opening in the shaft right into a tunnel. "I hope Halla can find the Coway exit as easily as she made it sound," Luke ventured.

"Yeah, I'd sure hate to lose her company," Leia said. "Life's been one unending party since we joined up with her."

"She's not so bad. Besides, we need her if we're going to keep the Kaiburr Crystal out of the Empire's hands."

Leia shuddered. "Essada. I'd almost forgotten about him."

"Why are you so afraid of an Imperial Governor?" he asked gently. "What did Tarkin and Vader do to you on the Death Star before Han Solo, Chewbacca, and I rescued you?"

 _If only Han was here_ , Leia thought. _He'd know how to handle Halla. He'd get us out of this_. The Princess turned memory-haunted eyes on Luke. "Maybe I'll tell you someday, Luke. But not now. I'm not ready. I haven't forgotten enough. If I told you, I might remember too much."

"Don't you think I can take it?" he asked.

"It's not that. It's my own reaction I'm worried about. Whenever I start to remember, I come apart." She glanced around. "Is it my imagination, or is it getting brighter in here?"

Luke noticed it, too. The light was a faint blue-yellow, somewhat brighter than the hue of his saber.

The Princess stood next to an especially luminous section of stone. It seemed as if the rock itself was pouring out the light. She dug at the wall. Light came off in her hand, setting her palm aglow. "It's some kind of growth. A luminous lichen or a fungus. I don't know. I'm no botanist. But the walls are absolutely covered with it." She brushed the living light from her hand and looked on down the gradually descending cave. "It's another world down here."

As they continued, the path they traveled on leveled off. The tunnel widened into a true cavern. Multi-colored stalactites hung from the ceiling, mineral impurities turning them into painted pendants coated with phosphorescent growths. Blunt-tipped stalagmites thrust ceiling ward. The only sound was the ever-present music of dripping water until a faint rumble reached their ears.

"What's that sound ahead?" Luke asked. They proceeded cautiously. The noise turned out to be the song of a fast running underground stream. It ran parallel to their path.

They passed a hole in the cave's roof where water poured through and disappeared into a pond. Further on, they encountered a miniature forest of helicites. The grotesquely contorted gypsum crystals defied gravity in swirling projections from floor, walls, and ceiling. Reflections from the glowing plant life reached blinding proportions.

In addition to the lichen, there were larger, more advanced varieties of light-generating vegetation. Cantilevered mushrooms, small ferns, and ivy. "This place is exquisite," Leia said. "A fairyland. Far more attractive than the surface." Her eyes glittered. "It's so peaceful."

"Let's hope we find that exit soon," Luke commented.

Instead of sloping upward, the path continued level. If anything, the tunnel widened ahead of them. They turned a sharp bend to find their path blocked by water.

"The trail leads right into this underground lake," Luke said.

"That water's as black as the Emperor's mind," Leia said. "It's immense. I can't even see the other shore."

Luke followed the trail into the water and waded out to his chest. "Too deep to cross, too far to swim." A forest of huge, yellow-brown leafy pads floated on the black surface. They were roughly circular in shape with pointed ends where the upturned edges met.

Sloshing over to them, Luke tentatively stepped onto a two and a half meter wide plant pad. As he pushed down with his weight, the yellow interior gave like a sponge. But it didn't break and his foot didn't push through.

Unsteadily, Luke moved onto the pad. His knees sank into the surface, but he was buoyed. He bounced up as high as he could and came with both knees. The pad sank up to his hips and rebounded solidly.

Luke rolled over the edge. He saw a man-thick stem securing the pad to the lake bottom. Luke activated his lightsaber under the surface. Bubbles promptly broke the glassy water as the hard blue light gleamed in the blackness.

Taking a deep breath, Luke slid into darkness. The saber provided enough light to show him the stem. It took only a second or two to slice through the tough core.

Luke broke the surface and took a few quick breaths. He switched his blade off and tugged the pad close to shore. "When I cut this loose, I noticed it's concave on the bottom," he told the Princess. "It should be pretty stable. After all the walking, I thought a raft looked pretty good."

He employed the saber again to cut a small hole in the rear of the pad. Luke passed the hilt to the Princess. With a thin roll of survival cord, Luke secured their craft to a stalagmite on shore. Luke sat down, legs fully extended.

"I didn't know these worked underwater," Leia said, turning the weapon over in her hand. She spotted a series of transparent selenite crystals flowing from roof to the floor. They were about two meters tall and perhaps a couple of centimeters thick. When she activated Luke's lightsaber, the phosphorescent quality gave them the look of stained glass.

Cutting some loose, Leia switched the saber off and brought the crystal slabs to Luke. "We can use these as paddles." Leia sat next to him. She stretched her arms and back and yawned.

"Ready to go?" Luke asked.

"I need to rest for just a little bit."

"Go ahead. I'm not tired yet." Leia lay back. Luke did a moment later. In two minutes they were both sound asleep.

* * *

Six colossal warships slid out of hyperspace like javelin lances. The _Imperial Death Squadron_ loomed over the jungle planet; perfectly carved gemstones against the velvet of space. As they approached Circarpous V, the massive Star Destroyers slid into geosynchronous orbit along the planet's ecliptic.

Deep within the _Executor_ , Captain Piett stood outside a night black meditation chamber. He snapped to attention as the two halves split open like some prehistoric beast revealing extraordinarily large teeth. Inside, the pod was awash in white light, illuminating the pitch-black frame of the Dark Lord of the Sith. "Yes, Captain, what is it?" Vader said with a subdued voice.

"My lord, the fleet has emerged from hyperspace and taken orbit around Circarpous V."

"Very good, Captain."

"However, attempts to establish contact with the mining facility on Circarpous V have failed."

"Have my shuttle prepared for immediate departure."

Captain Piett bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Lord Vader."

Vader's chair rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, bringing him face-to-face with a wall screen. The gray panel flickered with static and cleared, presenting the Dark Lord with the face of Admiral Ozzel. "Yes, Lord Vader?" he asked, his frame stiff.

"I will be departing for the surface of Circarpous V to retrieve Skywalker and the girl. Their presence here can only mean the Rebellion's top operatives are also present. Monitor the system carefully for any unusual traffic or activity and move the other ships to intercept accordingly."

"Understood, my lord."

* * *

As Han and Chewbacca passed metal crates to another man loading a ship carved out of stone, a klaxon alarm blared. Bexen, engaged in conversation with a few other men, paused. She walked away from them, quickly joined by Solo and the Wookie. Bexen paused behind a young man seated behind a large glass panel showing every planet in the system. "What is it?" she asked.

"A fleet of Star Destroyers just exited hyperspace. They're taking orbit around V."

Han leaned toward the display. "Oh no," he said softly. He looked at Bexen. "They brought in a command ship." Chewbacca growled.

"Why?" Bexen asked.

"It means someone really important has come for Luke and Leia." Han rubbed his chin. "Take a good look at that fleet. That small armada can destroy a planet just as effectively as the Death Star obliterated Alderaan. I don't suppose you got a couple of ships powerful enough to go head-to-head with Star Destroyers?"

Bexen stood straight. "Just the mine field," she said. Han's head tilted and his eyebrows wrinkled. Bexen nodded. "To get them out here, we'll distract them with what looks like an evacuation."

"Well, that's sure to get their attention."

"The mines will hold them off long enough to get your friends out." She looked at the young man behind the computer station. "Scramble some of the generational ships and make it look like they're leaving. Get word to Du'Tarc. I want all available units brought out here."

"Right, commander."

* * *

Standing on the bridge of the _Nullifier_ , Bin Essada gazed out the view ports across the busy Circarpousian city. He heard footsteps approaching and didn't turn, or even wait, for the sub officer to speak. "Has Prime Minister V'Litizer reconsidered my offer?" he asked.

"Sir, Lord Vader's fleet has just taken orbit around Circarpous V."

Essada's lips tightened and his beady eyes narrowed. "Very well. We'll rendezvous with him and offer our services."

The sub officer bowed slightly at the neck and said, "Yes, sir."

* * *

The holographic image of Prime Minister V'Litizer wavered slightly before Mon Mothma. "Governor Essada has made good on his threat to set up a blockade in our system. An Imperial fleet arrived just moments ago."

"This is the first step in an Imperial stranglehold designed to drain your planet's resources and inscript the population into its military and labor programs."

"It would appear that the Empire has been mining resources from Circarpous V for an unknown period of time. There is an instillation there collecting dolovite."

Mon Mothma swallowed hard. She stole a glance at Admiral Ackbar on her left. She slowly turned her gaze to the holographic image.

"The rebels cells in the system are preparing a distraction of sorts in an effort to rescue Senator Organa. If the Empire suspects any help from us, I fear the consequences."

"Your fear… That is the perfect reason to join the Rebellion. We need your help to free the galaxy of Imperial tyranny and fear. I implore you, Prime Minister."

"You have our support," V'Litizer said.

"And you have ours. Keep me advised of the situation."

As the hologram faded, Mon Mothma turned to the salmon colored Mon Calamari commander, Admiral Ackbar whose large, yellow eyes met her grim expression. "Put the fleet on standby, Admiral. And have General Madine dispatch his best agents across the galaxy to find out what the Empire is constructing."

* * *

Administrator Grammel stood within the circular control counsel in the temple's damaged command center. He tapped buttons and read reports. The large screen on the wall hung at a slanted angle, the surface cracked. One of the partitions near the corner had fallen in. Large blocks of stone were scattered about. Some of the fur drapes were pulled down and several pieces of furniture in the lounge area lay crushed under boulders.

Sub officer Puddra was behind Grammel, monitoring progress reports from scout teams deep in Mimban's jungles. A panel blinked. Puddra tapped a button. A rectangle of green letters flashed up. He took in a sharp breath.

"Captain-Supervisor," Puddra said stiffly.

"What is it, Puddra?" Grammel's eyes never left his work.

"You have an incoming message on the short range communications band."

"Have those incompetent fools located the escaped prisoners?"

"No, sir. This message is originating from an inbound shuttle."

Grammel's right eyebrow raised. He took a breath and stood straight, turning to his sub officer, hands clasped behind him. "It must be Governor Essada's representative. Dose the message indicate who it is?"

"Yes, sir. It's Lord Vader."

Grammel's face paled.

"He's demanding you meet him on the landing platform with the two prisoners."

Grammel flecked his tongue and cleared his throat. "Let's not keep the gentleman waiting, shall we?"

"Yes, sir." Puddra bowed slightly at the neck. Grammel stepped down to the floor before his arms fell straight to his sides.

* * *

Rare was the night on Mimban when the skies cleared, allowing the stars to shine. High over jungle growth, they sparkled.

Seated around the glowing embers of a campfire, Halla, Hin, and Kee finished eating from the bones of the carcass of some hunted animal skewered and cooked over open flames. "I do hope Master Luke and Princess Leia haven't fallen into harm without benefit of my expert counsel to guide them," Threepio said. Squatting to the golden 'droid's left, Artoo made a double syllable electronic sound.

"Don't be silly." Halla finished gnawing on a bone, tossing it into the fire. "Those kids are havin' the time of their lives strollin' about, seein' the sights."

A streak of light in the night sky caught the old woman's attention. "See there?" she pointed above the trees, following its path. "That's a falling star. In some cultures, they're considered a sign of good luck." The light dipped low. Halla smiled. "What in ding blazes could possibly go wrong?"

Standing, Halla rubbed the small of her back. "We best get moving if we're going to meet up with them anytime soon." Hin and Kee made sounds of protest, lost on Halla. They ate a few more quick bites before they stood and scattered sand over the flames to extinguish the fire.

* * *

The 'falling star' wasn't a star at all. Nor was it meteor debris caught in the planet's gravitational grip to be burned up by atmospheric friction. Gliding through the night, an Imperial Shuttle gracefully dipped low over trees, approaching a landing deck connected to a small base hidden by surrounding jungle growth. Gull wings gently lifted. Support struts dropped. The shuttle made a soft touchdown in the center of one of two large circles.

Captain-Supervisor Grammel waited with Puddra and a pair of Stormtroopers. Steam jetted from the craft as the boarding ramp lowered. Darth Vader's black armor was a shadow silhouette against the night. Save the eyepieces and triangular breathing filter, much of his form was hidden. Red and white lights glowed on his chest plate and belt.

Stalking down the ramp followed by two guards, the Dark Lord of the Sith paused before the recently scarred Imperial Officer. Grammel swallowed hard.

"Captain-Supervisor Grammel," Vader rumbled dangerously, "you now have fifteen seconds to explain why Skywalker and the girl aren't lying bound at my feet."

"Lord Vader," Grammel stammered, "they escaped with the help of some powerful friends. One, a Jedi Master, I'm told."

Grammel's words elicited the slightest reaction in the Dark Lord. The Jedi were supposed to be extinct. This bit of information made the situation much more dangerous. If any surviving Jedi were to lay claim to the Kaiburr Crystal first, Darth Vader's illusion of absolute power would be in serious jeopardy. Raising a black gauntleted palm, Vader said, "Give me the stone fragment."

Taken by surprise at this turn in the conversation, Grammel faltered. "Yes, my lord. Of course." He fumbled the box from a uniform pocket, turning it over to the towering black figure.

Darth Vader opened the lid. Even as he stared into the glowing red gem, the Dark Lord felt its power. This was a chip from the Kaiburr Crystal. He extracted the stone, dropping the box. Sensations rushed through him like a wild vortex. It was intoxicating.

"My men have tracked the criminal group to a remote area of Mimban," Grammel finished his initial report.

While he held the glittering jewel fragment, Darth Vader's connection to the Force intensified. He saw a vision of a region far beyond the base, leading deep into the jungle. Skywalker and his companions had traveled through the dense growth. Their destination was far in the distance, a forgotten temple, similar to the many abandoned aboriginal structures scattered across the planet. Within its age-old walls stood a gothic statue carved from deteriorating stone. The Kaiburr Crystal was set within the idol, casting crimson illumination around a dark, dank chamber. The Sith Lord's connection with the Force vision vanished then, although the magnification of that supernatural power held sway over his great black frame.

Darth Vader considered Grammel's last remark. What a dangerous proposition indeed to have the crystal fall into the hands of a surviving Jedi Knight.

"Has the nature of this instillation been compromised?" Vader asked.

"There's no reason to believe it was," Grammel reported confidently. "The fugitives broke free of the prison compound and fled into the forest."

"Your men are now under my direct command. I trust that will increase their efficiency levels significantly. We leave immediately." Darth Vader strode ahead followed by his guards, forcing Grammel and his men to double their pace to keep up.

* * *

Luke woke with a start, sitting up fast, flicking his eyes in all directions. His breath came in shallow gasps. He was cold all over. There was something moving… something stirring…

But there was nothing. Only the steady trickle of the stream merging with the water and the sound of liquid dripping into the lake from overhead.

Gently, Luke shook Leia's shoulder. "Hey. Leia. We should get moving." Her eyes opened and she sat up.

Wordlessly, they slipped onto their makeshift boat. Luke untied the cord from the stalagmite, recoiled it, and replaced it on his belt. He pushed off. The pad slid out onto the lake as if greased. Luke took up one of the long selenite blades.

"Feeling better, Princess?"

"Mmm. It's amazing what uninterrupted sleep can do to improve one's outlook. If this keeps up, I might feel cautiously optimistic about our journey."

* * *

Several of the Prime Minister's personal guards walked onto the stage in the conference chamber where the leaders of pocket resistance groups discussed the possibility and plausibility of joining the Rebel Alliance. Their hushed conversations stopped and their attention focused on them.

The aged Prime Minister, followed by Dillinger Du'Tarc, appeared next, taking a central position in front of the gathering. "Friends and allies," he began. "The Empire has arrived in our system."

Whispers and mumbles came from the small groups seated in the amphitheater. "An Imperial Grand Moff met with me to discuss Circarpous allying itself with the Empire. He came because he knew Senator Organa and her escort are being held on Circarpous V at an Imperial mining instillation."

"What are the Imperials doing on Mimban?"

"How is it our intelligence never knew about this?"

"The mining operation has been in place since the end of the great Clone War," V'Litizer said. "The Empire seemed uninterested in the rest of this system, so the government has turned a blind eye to their presence. Somehow, Senator Organa landed on the wrong planet and was taken into Imperial custody. When Grand Moff Essada met with me, he threatened to set up a blockade. It would seem he has made good on his threat. An Imperial fleet has arrived."

A wave of conversation echoed throughout the chamber. V'Litizer held out his hands. "Their first priority will be to collect the Senator. I have been in contact with Senator Mon Mothma, leader of the Rebel Alliance, to keep her advised of the situation. In the meantime, she dispatched a few rebel allies to rescue Senator Organa. They are with Bexen Trimmelette who has pledged her full support to the Rebellion. I have done the same for Circarpous IV. If there is any hope of rescuing Senator Organa and keeping the Empire from completely subjugating this system, I urge you all now to do the same."

Hushed whispers soon grew into nods of approval. Delegates began standing, applauding the Prime Minister. He smiled warmly at them as he scanned over the breadth of the room. "The first stage of the rescue is to lure the Imperial fleet to the mine fields surrounding XIV. We need fighter ships to converge in that area so the rescue party can slip unnoticed to V."

* * *

After a period of slow, painful paddling, Luke's upper shoulders ached relentlessly. In the endless quiet, they rested periodically.

Far above, Luke saw the cavern ceiling dominated by clusters of stalactites dwarfing any formations they'd seen thus far. Several of them must have weighed tons.

There were also some dozens of meters in length and no thicker than a man's thumb. All were liberally coated with the luminescent lichen-fungi. They filled the enormous chamber with a comforting yellow-blue glow.

Luke heard something between the intermittent pings of water drops falling from the stalactites overhead. He reached back to put a warning hand on the Princess' shoulder.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Luke stared at the absolutely flat, unbroken lake surface.

"Listen."

Leia studied the water nervously in the dim light. A faint plop-plop sounded.

"That's just drip-water from the ceiling," she husked.

"No, it's too erratic. Drip-water falls steadily."

The noise vanished. "I don't hear it anymore, Luke. It must have been drip-water."

Luke looked worriedly at the black mirror they floated on. "Me either." Taking up his selenite paddle, he dipped it into the water and pulled again. He peaked over his shoulders every few strokes. The faint sound reached his ears again. Luke held up his hand.

"Stop."

Leia raised her paddle clear of the water.

"There it is again. Don't you hear it, Leia?" She didn't reply. "Leia?" Turning, Luke found her fixed on something in the water. Her mouth hung open.

She pointed. Luke instinctively reached for his lightsaber. He spotted an ominous and threatening projectile - an arrow trail of bubbles moving rapidly toward them.

Moving carefully to the rear of the pad, Luke balanced himself on a knee and a leg and activated the tightly held saber in his right hand.

The bubbles stopped.

It rose; a pale, translucent, amorphous form, shining with phosphorescence, its color not unlike the great wandrella. But compared to the lake-spirit, the worm-thing was a familiar creature.

"Stay back," Luke said to the Princess. "I'll deal with this."

There was no face. Nothing recognizable in that constantly altering form. It lifted thick pseudopods clear of the surface. They glowed in the dim cavern light. Luke thought he could see part way through the creature. Strange internal contours swirled through it.

One pulsing white arm flailed at the fragile craft. Luke swung at it with his saber. The blue beam passed completely through glowing matter. While the saber produced no visible damage, the action caused the giant amoeba to retract the limb.

"The beam won't cut it. It only reabsorbed the arm."

Another curling tentacle swiped at Luke. This time he stabbed at it. The beam went straight through with no hint of blood or internal fluids of any kind. There weren't even any sounds of pain. Only the lapping of water against the spongy pad and Luke's grunts filled the chamber.

Part of the shape came up out of the water behind Luke and Leia. "Luke! Look out!" she said.

The sweeping limb caught Luke from behind as he cut another pseudopod. It wrapped around his waist and swept him over the side. "No!" the Princess screamed.

With barely a breath in his lungs, Luke was yanked below the surface. His heart raced and his limbs thrashed. Water burned in his nasal passages as he cut at limbs pulling him deeper.

For the Princess, anxious moments passed with no sign of Luke. "No," she said softly.

Luke's chest muscles heaved. He gritted his teeth, frantically cutting away at the shape. He spun over and over, growing tired and disoriented. Air trickled from his nose and opened mouth as he swallowed water. Still, he kept cutting.

Bubbles boiled at the surface near the raft. "Luke?" Leia watched them.

He finally broke the surface not far off, gasping. "Luke!" Leia called. He coughed and groaned, kicking away from the shape, swinging his blade wildly at every limb. Flaring brilliantly beneath the water, his saber hacked at something unseen.

It let loose long enough for him to crawl back onto the pad. The saber arced dangerously near the Princess and his legs as Luke cut at clinging limbs. He kept cutting, plunging the blade straight down into a configuration of appendages he hoped was a mouth. The semi-transparent shape sunk into the water. Luke cut at tendrils and tentacles until the last grasping pseudopod slunk out of sight.

Dripping wet and breathing heavily, Luke coughed a few times. He knelt on the pad and tried to look every which way at once.

"There!" Leia exclaimed. Luke saw a line of bubbles in the water. They moved away from the pad. The gurgling faded to nothingness as the bubble trail vanished from sight.

Exhausted, Luke switched the saber off and fell on his back. He stared at the pincushion ceiling. "You did it, Luke. You drove it away."

Luke panted. His abdominal muscles burned. He felt anything but victorious. "Maybe. Maybe it just got tired and went away." He studied the lightsaber hilt in his fist. "Or maybe it decided a saber beam's not very palatable." He reattached it to his belt, sat up with a groan and locked his arms about his knees.

Leia held him from behind the shoulders. "Luke, I think I'm ready to leave this place now."

They picked up their paddles and resumed digging through the black water.

* * *

Deep below the surface of the planet, Halla led the 'droids and the Yuzzem through a glowing cavern. She cackled with triumphant laughter at the phosphorescent growth glowing from the walls. "I told you I could find the nearest Coway exit hole in my sleep! That'll teach you to doubt old Halla."

Threepio wasn't assured, shuffling behind the old woman. "Perhaps it was the wrong one," he speculated. "There wasn't one sign of Master Luke or Princess Leia."

"The kid said thirty-one degrees east, didn't he? It ain't my fault if he can't read a tracomp."

Sounds reached them abruptly. There was a thumping of running feet and things being tossed through the air.

"What in ding blazes?" Halla spun around, confused, afraid. Shapes approached them in the semi-darkness. The Yuzzem crouched, barking loudly.

"Oh dear, miscreants abound!" Threepio yelled. Artoo let off an electronic shriek. Hin and Kee made guttural sounds, baring fangs. In an instant, they were trapped under heavy nets. Lithe, misty figures pulled them tight, keeping the group at bay. "Doomed. We're all doomed," Threepio said. Chattering conversations passed between the silhouetted bipedal creatures. Spears were pointed at them. Double-bladed axes were held at ready.

"If you don't quit saying that, I'll terminate your auditory functions personally," Halla warned Threepio. She glared at the Coway from behind the rope cage. "I got a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Despite Luke's apprehension their translucent assailant would attack again, the far shore of the lake hove into view.

There was more than a naked shoreline coming toward them. Numerous structures were clustered near the beach. Many were stone, others had metal walls, and some had a combination of both materials.

Considerable age, however, didn't leave any edifice unmarred by time. The metal was rusted and pitted with holes. The stone sported rust stains and growths of calcium deposits and other minerals that looked much like the stalagmites in the surrounding areas.

"That city looks incredibly ancient," Leia said. "Kind of beautiful, though. Think the Coway built it?"

"I doubt it. Design luxury isn't usually a primitive people's prime concern." Try as he might, Luke couldn't locate a single window. Openings that must have served as doors were squat and oval.

An ancient dock protruded from dry ground ahead. While no boats of any kind were in sight, the long wooden platform extending out into the water left no doubt about its function.

They paddled for the left-hand shore until the pad's stem scraped bottom. Stepping out into water up to his waist, Luke extended a supportive hand for the Princess.

They sloshed to shore and walked toward the pathway. The city of the Thrella loomed silently. Luke looked in every direction, studying the area. "Looks like the trail goes right through town."

They walked into the maze of structures. "This city has to ancient," the Princess said, "given the relative scarcity of underground erosion."

"Yeah. The decay of these buildings has to be because of time. There's no shoddy design or construction. Even the metalwork shows signs of forging and machining."

"Everything's neatly laid out and very well planned," Leia observed. "No right angles. A lot of sweeping curves and arches. Not only were they architecturally talented, they went for aesthetics. I agree. I don't think the Coway did this. Primitive construction is strictly utilitarian. Certainly, all this is the product of intelligence."

"One that has long since disappeared from Mimban," Luke mused. "I would have liked to meet the Thrella."

Something clattered softly behind them. Luke whirled. The mystifying oval portals stared back at him like the eye sockets of gray skulls.

"Now what?" the Princess asked.

"I thought I heard something," he informed her, staring resolutely ahead. As they walked along the meandering pathway, the buildings drew closer. He felt a crawling sensation in his chest, as if someone, or something, was staring at him. It was an almost palpable feeling. Every time he jerked around sharply for a look, there was nothing. Not a suggestion of movement. Not a sigh. Not a sound.

Luke was grateful when the buildings started to thin out. Empty doorways beckoned. He was tempted to enter one of the ruined structures to see the interior. But this was not the time for exploration. Their first concern was to find the way out, not to go poking through the ancient metropolis. However wonderful it was.

He wondered what caused the extinction of Mimban's advanced races. The temple-builders and the Thrella. Interracial warfare, perhaps? Or sequential decadence ending in being overwhelmed by aborigines like the greenies?

Rock scrapped rock. When Luke spun, there was a hint of movement behind a wall of stalagmites off to their left. "Don't tell me you didn't hear that." He stared toward a ridge of colored spires.

"We're in a cave. Rocks fall constantly."

A shape fell from above. In one smooth motion Luke drew and activated his lightsaber. The creature was cut in half.

Luke and Leia stood back-to-back. Their path was blocked by two more of the bipeds. Another group appeared behind them. Three moved in cautiously.

"Get ready," Luke said. "Here comes the rush."

Leia picked up a broken stalactite. She shifted it efficiently in her hand as the humanoids stalked them.

The Coway were slim and covered with a fine gray down. Their eyes were shrunken, dark orbs, the skin around them a bluish color. They wore abbreviated sets of trousers. Charms and assorted instruments dangled from their ankles, upper arms, and neck.

All of them were armed with a long, thin flowstone spear. A couple carried double-bladed axes. They displayed no fear of Luke's lightsaber, despite the recently demonstrated lethal quality.

Whether they had a fair knowledge of human technology from surface visits or their bravery was born of ignorance, Coway tactics were primitive. With a rolling cry, the three behind charged together, while the two ahead rushed in several moments later. The slight difference in time was critical.

A single swipe of the saber sliced two of the thrusting spears in half. The third jabbed at the Princess. She blocked with her stone rod and got her legs around the onrushing native's. She sent it crashing to the ground. Rolling over on top of him, Leia brought the stalactite down hard on its skull near the right temple. A sound like plastic breaking caused the Coway to go limp as blood gushed freely.

Luke ducked a wild axe swing and cut two hands off at the wrists. The Coway fell to the ground, holding up cauterized stumps. A Coway next to him bolted away from the fray into the cavern.

The two latecomers entered the fight. Luke dispatched one with a sweep to the legs. The second jabbed at Luke with his spear. Luke promptly cut off the tip. Its owner threw the shaft at Luke, spun, and ran back the way it came.

"Leia!" Luke turned to the Princess. She adroitly dodged alternating cuts and jabs of the remaining native, hunting for an opening. But when the Coway saw Luke approaching, it turned to retreat.

Hefting the saber carefully, Luke let the weapon fly. Spinning through open air, it sunk into the small of its back until the solid pommel contacted flesh. The Coway fell to the ground dead.

"Hurry!" the Princess urged, salvaging an axe from one of the fallen Coway. "We can't let it get away to warn any others." Luke retrieved his weapon and hurried after her.

Together they ran in pursuit of the single remaining Coway. In their rush, neither noticed they were traveling uphill, for the first time since they'd abandoned the Thrella well.

A huge pile of fallen rubble lay ahead. The fleeing Coway reached it and started scrambling for the top. "Too late. We'll never catch him now," Luke said.

"Stand back!" While still on the run, the Princess took aim and heaved the axe with more force and accuracy than Luke would have given her credit for. It struck the native on the right shoulder and sent it tumbling down the other side of the rock pile.

"You got him," Luke exclaimed. "Remind me to never make you angry."

They started up the hill of broken stone. It looked brighter on the far side. They stopped when they topped the rise.

And paused there at the sight of what lay just beyond…

"So what do we do now?" Luke asked.

"Oh my," Leia said softly.


	11. Chapter 10

**X**

The _Nullifier_ slid into formation with the rest of the _Imperial Death Squadron_. With careful precision, the smaller ship passed under the massive bulk of the _Executor_ and angled into a docking bay below the bridge spire.

Several moments later, Essada, two sub officers, and a pair of Stormtroopers stepped out of a turbo lift and strolled onto the bridge of Darth Vader's Command Ship. Captain Piett paused before the Grand Moff. "Governor," he said, arms behind his back.

"Has Senator Organa been retrieved from Grammel's custody?"

"Lord Vader has left to take care of that personally, sir."

"Captain Piett," a voice called from the communications pit.

"Excuse me," Piett said to Essada and turned to the young sub officer below.

"Sir, long range scans have picked up an inordinate amount of traffic exiting the system in the vicinity of Circarpous XIV."

"Are there any Rebel ships?"

"We're unable to determine at this distance, sir. Most of them appear to be single man craft. According to official Circarpous records, there are a number of colonies scattered throughout the system."

Piett nodded and tuned. He walked to the side of the bridge and paused before two senior officers. "General Veers," he nodded and then locked eyes with, "Admiral Ozzel. We're picking up a possible evacuation of Circarpous XIV."

"Are you suggesting Rebel activity?" the elder man asked stiffly.

"It is unknown at this time," Piett replied as Essada joined the ranking deck officers.

"The very presence of this fleet could have made anyone committing illicit activity nervous. Dispatch a squadron of fighters to investigate."

"Yes, sir," Piett said and stepped away.

Essada nodded at the Admiral and slowly walked toward the forward view port, gazing at the misty planet of Mimban so far below. He leaned slightly to one of his sub officers without turning his head. "Find out what other naval forces we have positioned close to this system."

"Yes, sir." He walked away.

 _The capture of Senator Organa… The destruction of the Rebel Fleet… I will come out of this a true hero_. Essada's mouth twisted into a huge smile.

* * *

Darth Vader stood on a platform at the front of the hover skiff as it traveled through a clearing. He was motionless, arms behind his back. Puddra piloted the craft, receiving constant updates from a scouting party over his headset searching the area near them.

Grammel scanned the area with a pair of electro-binoculars, pausing at times on clumps of trees when animals moved. "Puddra?" he asked with a clipped voice, craning his neck to the sub officer.

Puddra shook his head slightly.

"Still no sign of them, my lord," Grammel said. "Perhaps one of the planet's predators -"

"No Captain-Supervisor, they are alive," Darth Vader responded heavily. "They are traveling underground." He could feel Luke's vibration emanating from ahead, well below his feet.

The hover skiff came to an alcove of trees. Vader saw signs of recent activity. "Stop the skiff," he ordered, holding up his right hand. Puddra complied. The Dark Lord sprang from his elevated platform like a great black raven and landed on the ground in front of the carrier.

The Captain-Supervisor and his sub officer exchanged surprised glances.

Studying at the ground, Vader spotted the unmistakable tracks of an R2 'droid as well as a second set of footprints made by something with limited flexibility. A stone ring surrounded ashes and chunks of burnt wood. Thick hair fibers clung to thorny branches. Lastly, there was a depression in the ground where a bedroll was probably laid out.

"Two 'droids," the Dark Lord pointed at the tracks, "two Yuzzem," he indicated with a wave of his hand toward the vegetation, "and one human," he pointed to where someone slept.

Darth Vader stepped on fragments of burnt wood. They crunched, fragmenting cleanly into splinters and ash. They weren't damp from any recent moisture.

Turning back to the hover skiff, Vader strode up the boarding ramp and said, "Your fugitives stayed here recently, Captain-Supervisor. They are traveling on foot and cannot be far away. I have little doubt they are searching for a way to reach Skywalker. Puddra, continue on our previous course."

"Yes, my lord," Puddra said. The hover vehicle slid forward.

Darth Vader returned to the forward platform. "Be on the lookout for a cave or a Thrella well along our heading like the one we encountered before."

"My lord," Grammel said cautiously, "what of the Jedi Master?"

Darth Vader reached out through the Force. He touched the old woman's essence. There was no reaction from her the way there was with young Skywalker. The Dark Lord quickly discerned, "I find her abilities have been greatly exaggerated, Captain-Supervisor." He looked back at Grammel. "In rendering such a verdict, it leaves me to question not only the abilities of your troops, but yours as well."

Grammel's face went pale. The Dark Lord turned back to the foliage ahead. Stammering, Grammel tugged at his neck collar with an index finger. Perspiration beaded on his forehead.

* * *

The cave opened into an enormous circular amphitheater. Below, Luke and Leia saw the native the Princess nicked with the axe holding his shoulder as he ran toward a great crowd of furred beings clustered in the cavern's center. They stood around a modest pond. A bonfire blazed to its left.

Framed by pond and fire were three large stalagmites where two growling Yuzzem and one cranky old woman were tied. Halla was bound with several vine-like cords, while Hin and Kee were nearly mummified. Threepio and Artoo-Detoo stood lashed together nearby.

"There must be two hundred of them," Luke said.

"So let's get down there and start getting acquainted," Leia replied.

Armed Coway, including females and children, clustered around pond, fire, and prisoners. The wounded relative running toward them yelled at the top of his lungs.

Leia hefted her axe. Luke held up the blue beam of his saber.

The injured Coway reached the crowd and jabbered excitedly to three large males who wore skullcap headdresses and long necklaces of bone. Several cries came from members of the assembly who watched the intruders. All eyes shifted to Luke and Leia walking slowly toward them.

Luke held the blade before him. The native Leia wounded pointed to the glowing weapon, muttering nervously.

As they neared the mob of assembled troglodytes, Luke and the Princess marched between their ranks toward the three captives.

"They're not sure what to do," the Princess said softly. "They seem to be in awe of your saber, but they're not about to grant you godhood."

"Anything to buy us a little time," Luke said grimly. He gestured sharply at one knot of Coway who pressed a little close.

"Master Luke! It's so good to see you, sir," Threepio said first. Artoo chirped and whistled. Hin and Kee chattered at Luke and to one another.

"Good to see you, Luke boy," Halla said. "You and the skirt are the chief topic of conversation hereabouts." Luke held his blade out behind him. Halla shouted something at the three splendidly attired natives while waving her right hand in a quick sideways motion. She flatly whispered to Luke, "You realize we haven't got much chance of getting out of here?" She shouted again, waving her right hand.

"She's right, sir," said Threepio. "I am fluent in over six million forms of communication and even I have been quite unable to reason with them. Do try to save yourselves."

"You speak their language?" Luke said to Halla, watching her employ the Jedi mind trick he'd witnessed Obi-Wan use on Stormtroopers outside of Mos Eisley.

"Damn if they aren't as stubborn as a huddle of neutered dewbacks," she said and faced Luke. "A little. It's a variation of the greenie's jabber. It's not easy. But I can make the chiefs understand me." She winked and grinned slightly.

"Chiefs?"

"Coway tribes are ruled by a triumvirate," she explained. "Those three laughing boys decked out in the bonnets over there. If they're as sporting as I think they are, we might have a chance. Seems the one whose shoulder you sliced -"

"Not him," objected the Princess, "me."

"- is real impressed with your scrappin' skills. The chiefs are debatin' whether to cut our throats outright or let their god, Canu, decide by havin' Luke fight their champion."

"Let me guess… No lightsaber allowed."

"'T wouldn't be fair. Besides, you have the Force on your side, remember?"

"I'd rather have my saber."

Halla's features softened. "Sorry, Luke boy."

"I'm no brawler, Halla." He looked at the Coway and then at her. "And you overestimate the Force's usefulness."

"Luke, these people are no giants."

"They're not dwarves, either."

"I tried my best. They wouldn't agree to fight one of the Yuzzem. They don't see them as intelligent."

"Or they're not as primitive as you think," Leia said.

The three Coway chiefs broke off their conversation. One of them, his skullcap having two downward curving horns, called something out at Halla. She listened intently and grinned when he finished speaking.

"It's on. They're willing to abide by Canu's judgment," Halla reported to Luke. "I'm an old woman, boy, but I still have a lot of living planned. Don't let me down."

"You have to win, Luke," the Princess said. "If I don't attend that meeting on Circarpous IV eventually, they'll never join the Alliance."

Luke's eyes moved from Halla to Leia. "The Alliance? Don't let you down? What about me? Both of you listen." He tapped his chest and regarded Leia. "Right now it's more important to me I go on living than it is to make some vague patriotic sacrifice, or," he continued, facing Halla, "that I get you out of a jam you should have been able to avoid. You're the one with the Mimbanian experience." He handed the lightsaber to the Princess. "Let's finish this. What are the rules? Who do I fight?"

Halla continually flicked her right hand as she conversed with the Coway chief. "You fight until one of you quits or dies. The Coway word for quit is _saen_. 'Course if you quit or lose, we all die."

"Swell," Luke grunted, walking toward the chiefs. The entire throng babbled in anticipation of the battle.

The crowd parted near Luke. He had his first glimpse of the Coway he was going to fight. Some of the tenseness left him. Though broader than he was, the creature was the same height. He didn't look especially ferocious; no major scars, no snarling teeth. There were larger Coway than this specimen. Some more fearsome-looking. The Coway stared back, gave Luke a profound bow, and made an intricate movement with both arms.

Unable to duplicate the complex ritual, Luke gave the Alliance salute. A murmur issued from the crowd.

The Coway walked past him and stepped into the far side of the pond. "What now?" Luke called to Halla.

"Get into your side and face him. When the chief with the blue spines sticking out of his collar drops his right arm, the two of you punch it out."

A singularly chilling howl came from the crowd as Luke got into his end of the pond. It was followed by dead silence.

"Why did you bother to tell Luke the word for quitting if it won't do any good to use it?" Leia asked Halla.

"Quit, smit. It's a Coway swear word. I figured they might admire his audacity if he yells it when he's dyin'."

Luke and the Coway faced each other in the shallows. "You don't look so tough," Luke said.

The chief with blue decorations raised his arm and dropped it with a swipe. Immediately, the Coway started across the pond toward Luke. Shouts from the onlookers thundered around the cavern walls. Luke swung out with his left fist, cracking it across the native's jaw. He followed up with a blow to the solar plexus. Luke tried to duck and roll. But the aborigine was quick.

The Coway hooked his right arm up under Luke's right arm from around his back. His left arm went over Luke's left shoulder and across his torso. He pulled hard in both directions. "Looks can be deceiving," Luke grunted. This Coway was lithe, agile, and one big piece of muscle under all his deceptively soft-looking fuzz.

Gaining a firm lock on the Coway's arms, Luke bent over and flipped him on his back into the water with a splash. As Luke tried to backpedal, the Coway flipped to his stomach and had Luke by the leg, pulling it out from under him. The sandy floor of the pond sunk under his weight. Luke fell into the water on his left side.

He twisted in fear as the Coway threw himself forward. Luke found himself on top of his opponent. With both hands he tried to force the furry head beneath the water. It wouldn't budge.

 _No other rules_ , Luke reminded himself. With one hand he hunted along the pond's bottom for a rock or anything solid and smaller than his fist. There was nothing but sand. His probing unbalanced Luke and the native threw him off. He fell across Luke's chest. Unlike the warrior, Luke found his head easily forced under the surface.

A few centimeters of water turned the roars of the crowd to a muffled echo. He stared upward, lungs crushed and hurting. Distorted by the surface, the batrachian face of the Coway glared down at him. Inexorable pressure kept Luke submerged with one hand as the native balanced itself with the other.

Loosing his breath, Luke desperately turned to the right. His mouth bumped against something warm. He bit down hard. With a jerk the Coway pulled its injured limb away. Luke's head broke the surface and he gasped air deeply. The crowd noise assailed his ears. "C'mon, Luke boy, you can do it," he heard Halla's encouragement.

"Don't give up, Luke," he heard Leia's voice.

The Yuzzem hooted deafening sounds while Artoo beeped and whistled loudly. "Do be careful, Master Luke," Threepio offered.

The hand Luke bit returned to get a fresh grip on his skull. Luke twisted violently. He heaved and spun. The native teetered and went over sideways into the water.

Half-drowned, Luke staggered to his feet. He eyed the Coway as it rose. The native lowered its shoulders and charged.

Luke kicked with every ounce of his strength with his left leg. His foot caught the Coway in the mid-section and the Coway let out a startled, "Whoof!" and sat down hard in the water.

Stumbling toward it, Luke lifted his right leg and kicked again, catching the jaw. The Coway grabbed Luke's leg and fell across it. Luke caught a gasp of breath and turned over as the Coway pulled him toward itself. He couldn't kick free. If the creature got its hands on him this time, Luke knew he was finished. He was face down in the sand.

Luke's dragging hands encountered something oblong and unyielding. A rock, but too large for him to get a hand around. He'd needed both hands to raise anything so massive, and much better leverage than he possessed at the moment to make use of it.

Just as Luke's lungs sent out the first signals of needing air, the hand he feared came down on the back of his neck. It shoved downward. Luke's face plunged into the sandy bottom of the pond. Clean grains pressed into his nostrils while water burned in his nasal passages.

From her position as a spectator, Leia's hand went to her mouth. Halla gulped. Threepio's arms jerked up. "Oh, Artoo, Master Luke is drowning! _Saen_!" he called frantically. " _Saen_ everybody!"

"Luke!" Leia shouted.

"That's it," Halla said. "The kid's finished and we're next."

Luke's heart pounded in his head. His chest felt like it would explode from the pressure of holding his breath. Bubbles trickled from between clenched lips. His abdominal muscles heaved, burning precious air.

His thoughts hazed. Greedy lungs scoured the last dregs of oxygen from his blood.

 _Use the Force, Luke_ , a voice sang fancifully in the back of his mind.

 _Ben…_

 _Relax. Let go, Luke. Let the Force flow through you_.

Relax. That was easy enough to do. Relax he would. Luke was so tired now. What little air he had forced its way from his system, easing the pressure in his chest to a vacuum. Luke allowed himself to go limp.

The Coway took it for a ploy and didn't ease the pressure on Luke. It shoved harder, sensing victory.

Luke's mind wrapped around the nearby rock. He focused on pleasant thoughts. The rock lifted, slinging out of the water, striking the Coway warrior in the head.

Miraculously, the pressure vanished from Luke's neck. He didn't think of defending himself. Luke shot to the surface.

Air! The most delicious of gases. It filled his starved lungs. Those weakened bellows pumped harder with every fresh breath. Coughing up water, Luke stayed on his knees, delirious with the pleasure of breathing again. Only when his system's panicky requests for oxygen faded did he think to turn and look for his opponent.

Blood trickled from the side of the Coway's head into the clear pond water. It was lying on its back, manifestly unconscious. Maybe dead.

Another body was suddenly in the water beside him. "You did it, Luke! You beat him!" the Princess shouted into his ear. She had him under the left arm and helped him stand.

"I did?" He glanced to his left. The Coway twitched. He wasn't dead. Several Coway broke from the assembled ranks and lifted their defeated champion to a sitting position. They held a smoking plant under his face causing the Coway's head to jerk sideways a few times. Luke caught a whiff of it. His head cleared and his strength quickly returned.

A large rock, as big as a man's head, lay in the water near the Coway. Luke's fingertips retained the memory of that stone. It was the one he'd encountered on the bottom of the pond as the Coway dragged his body through the silt and sand. Something deep inside him, some inner resource, reacted on the brink of asphyxiation to help Luke raise the rock, turn, and hurl it at the Coway combatant.

Yet, he couldn't recall placing both hands around it, let alone lifting it clear of the water and throwing it.

"How'd… I do it?" he asked the Princess.

Halla, free of her bonds, had her hands folded in front of her, smiling. "Don't be modest, lad," she said. "Even a humble master of the Force like myself couldn'ta done better."

Leia handed Luke his lightsaber while the Yuzzem patted his shoulders and rubbed his back, chittering their congratulations. Artoo beeped and bobbed sideways next to Threepio. "Master Luke, I thought you were done for when that awful creature pushed you under the second time."

"So did I," Luke replied.

"Are you all right, sir?"

"I'm good, Threepio. Thanks."

"Oh, you're quite welcome."

The Coway chief with blue decorations and the skullcap with two horns interposed himself between Luke and his companions. He jabbered. Halla acted as translator. "As near as I can figure, he's invitin' us to a feast tonight where their ex-champion will honor you as the better fighter."

"Can you decline for us?" Luke asked. "We've got to get back on the trail of the Kaiburr Crystal."

"Okay. But for such an insult to their hospitality and to Canu's will, you'd just hafta fight that guy again."

"I accept," Luke said quickly and looked at Leia. "It just occurred to me how hungry I am."


	12. Chapter 11

**XI**

They had no sense of night. When the time for the celebration arrived, it was as bright as ever in the huge cavern. The phosphorescent plant life of internal Mimban functioned according to schedules that ignored the unseen motions of astronomical bodies.

Luke almost felt like himself. Only his neck ached where the Coway's unyielding hand had pushed him underwater.

Large platters of exotic-looking foods were passed around a series of concentric circles around the pond. There was endless dancing to wailing rhythmic music and truly astonishing leaps and jumps by spring-muscled Coway performers.

From the platter nearest him, Luke chose a miniature pink gourd. He bit into it experimentally. Blue juice gushed down his front, eliciting immediate laughter from Halla and the Princess.

"Food's a bit odd, but a nice change from concentrates," Leia finally said.

"Ummm. Try the pink fruit with blue juice," Luke grinned.

Two Coway lead the warrior Luke fought over to their group. One supported the bandaged native at each arm. The champion shook off the pair of helpers as he neared Luke.

"Get to your feet, boy. Here comes the ex-champ to honor you," Halla said.

Muscles tight, Luke gripped his lightsaber firmly and waited. Kee chittered ominously. Luke put up a hand to quiet the Yuzzem. "He's smiling," Luke said softly to Halla. "Is that good?"

Reaching with both arms, the Coway warrior clasped Luke around the shoulders and pulled. Then the native pushed him away gently and slapped him on one cheek.

Luke blinked. The blow was powerful and the Coway murmured. Luke rubbed his chin.

Halla chuckled. "Don't just stand there. Hit him back."

"I thought the fight was over."

"It is. This is his way of acknowledging you're stronger. D'you want to insult him?"

"No. I certainly don't." Using his right hand, Luke belted the quiescent Coway hard enough to rattle the native's teeth. The native displayed a satisfied expression and dropped to his knees before Luke. The crowd howled its approval.

* * *

Stormtroopers served as point men while Darth Vader, Grammel, and Puddra searched the clearing. To Vader's left, two Coway charged into the night. The Dark Lord raised his right fist. Instantly, the two natives clutched at their throats as they rose up into the air. Their legs frantically kicked in vain attempts to escape. Vader held them in his invisible talons until their windpipes crushed and their heads tilted to the side. He lowered his gauntlet. The Coway fell to the ground.

"Puddra, take the troops and scout the area," Vader ordered. "There must be a tunnel to their settlement nearby."

"Yes, Lord Vader. Troopers, spread out! Search pattern alpha."

Captain-Supervisor Grammel stood on the hover skiff scanning the area with the electro binoculars.

Distant calls reached Vader. Grammel lowered the binoculars. In moments, Puddra trotted up to the black figure. "Lord Vader, we've found the passage leading underground."

"Good work."

"However, it's too narrow and rubble filled for a personnel carrier."

"We'll have to go in on foot. Dispatch the advance scouts."

"Yes, my lord." Puddra trotted back toward the troopers.

Grammel disembarked the hover skiff and stood next to Vader, arms folded behind his back. "This should be a simple enough capture."

"There will be many places for the natives to lay an ambush," Vader countered.

"Surely a few primitives won't be a problem. My men will have no trouble wiping them out."

"Nevertheless, I will accompany you and your men."

Grammel looked at the side of the Dark Lord's helmet. "I had thought to -"

"Supervise the battle from here?" Vader cut in. "No, Captain-Supervisor, you will accompany me." Grammel nodded and turned his head, looking at the ground. "See to it that your troops are prepared. We leave as soon as they are ready."

"Yes, my lord," Grammel said quickly and turned away from the imposing black silhouette.

Vader felt Luke, somewhere beneath his feet, but closer than ever. He would be in custody soon. Power radiated through the Dark Lord's towering frame. His breathing quickened. _Skywalker, I am coming for you_ …

* * *

Luke's hand opened as if he'd been shot. The pink bulb fell to the ground. Luke stood bolt upright, eyes open and staring.

The Princess rose and tried to make something of the gaping expression on his face. "Luke, what's wrong?"

He took a couple of unsteady steps.

"Was it the fruit, boy?" Halla looked equally concerned.

Luke blinked and turned away to stare eastward. "He's coming," Luke murmured. "He's near… very near."

"Luke boy, you'd better start making some sense or I'll have Hin hold you down and feed you dipills," Halla said. "Who's coming?"

"There's a profound disturbance in the Force," Luke whispered. "I felt it strongly when Ben Kenobi was killed."

Leia inhaled, eyes wide. "No, not him again. Not here."

"Governor Essada must have contacted him."

"Who?" Halla half-shouted.

"Lord Darth Vader," Leia mumbled, barely audible. "A Dark Lord of the Sith." Her hands trembled. "We've… met before. Luke, are you sure?"

"Something blacker than the night stirs the Force. He's coming for me."

Though not possible for a 'droid to faint, See-Threepio managed a convincing imitation. His eyes went dark and he slumped backward against a stalagmite. Artoo chided his companion and bumped into his leg.

"Artoo's right, Threepio," Luke said as the golden 'droid's eyes glowed once more. "Turning yourself off won't help anyone."

"I know, sir, and I do apologize." He stood up, leaning an arm on Artoo's round dome. "But a Dark Lord coming here. The very thought is enough overload my circuits."

Luke smiled grimly. "Mine, too."

A shouting native voice broke Luke's brief moment of desolate contemplation. The music stopped and the dancers paused.

All three chiefs rose, staring at the native running toward the assembly. The runner collapsed in the arms of the central chief with blue spines and the horned skull headdress. A short, one-sided conversation followed. Then the chief left the courier gasping on hands and knees, turned and gesticulated wildly, relaying the courier's information to his people.

"What's going on over there?" Luke asked Halla.

Consternation replaced joy among the gathered Coway. Soon the orderly assembly was a riot. Natives rushed in every direction, hairy arms flying, eyes bulging in panic. Food, utensils, and instruments were forgotten, trampled, or overturned.

Then the chief approached the non-Coway celebrants and chattered at Halla. She turned to Luke and the others. "Hard-shell humans are coming. Many Stormtroopers with guns, down the tunnel from the surface that we used," she indicated the Yuzzem and the 'droids." Her brows dipped low and she frowned. "They killed two Coway gathering food near the exit."

"How could Vader find us down here?" the Princess asked.

"I'm probably the cause of that." Halla and Leia turned to Luke. "Just as I sensed Vader, he can no doubt sense me. He has much more experience with the Force than I have, so his senses are stronger. He was a pupil of Obi-Wan Kenobi."

The two other Coway chiefs joined the third member of their triumvirate and collectively babbled. Their chatter was punctuated by innumerable gestures and hand waving. Luke got the impression a good deal of the talk concerned the three humans standing nearby.

Finally the chiefs turned and stared expectantly at Luke. Baffled, he looked to Halla for an explanation. "Canu has judged you the greatest warrior present. Since you defeated their champion, you lead them in the battle ahead."

"Perfect. Stone axes against power rifles. For once, I don't need Threepio to tell me we're doomed."

"Luke, Vader won't stop," Leia said. "You know that. He'll follow us to the center of Mimban."

"Have a little faith, boy. The Coway know the sinkholes apart from the solid ground. An' the Force ain't a geological phenomenon. Maybe we got a chance. They wanna fight. Canu," Halla smiled, "will judge."

"I wish I had your confidence in aboriginal jurisprudence, Halla."

"Old Canu did good by you, didn't he?" Halla rubbed Luke's shoulder.

Luke's thoughts crazily raced through his brain. Occasionally two or three ran into each other, creating further head havoc, making him wish for a nice, quiet place to hide.

But…

He was tired of running.

Now that Luke reflected on it, he and the Princess were running ever since they'd touched down on this planet. Halla, Leia, and the three Coway leaders anxiously waited for some response. Luke sighed. "Let's do it," he nodded.

* * *

"Get ready for some target practice, Chewie," Han Solo said as he flew the _Millennium Falcon_ between mines scattered near Circarpous XIV, "company's coming."

A swarm of T.I.E. fighters swept into the area and opened fire. Twin beams of green energy glanced off mines and several seemingly dormant and harmless asteroids. Just as they got close enough, the rocky bodies came alive, shooting brilliant barrages of orange laser fire right back at them. Their propulsion systems glowed white as they dove into the heart of the T.I.E. fighter squadron, eliminating a few more with surprise laser fire and one that impacted the rocky surface of the Circarpousian ship. The T.I.E.s parted, looping back around.

Growling, Chewbacca pulled off a shot at one of the Imperials, blowing off a solar panel. The small ship spun wildly out of range, smashing into the surface of XIV.

"Good shot, Chewie!" Han spun his cannon around, flipping a targeting switch. A red panel with a flashing yellow grid lined up another incoming hostile. When the computer paused and beeped and a square blinked yellow, Han squeezed the trigger, scoring a direct hit. The fireball of hot gas flashed past the _Falcon's_ hull at a safe distance.

"Bexen, you got a reading on how many ships are out there?"

"A couple dozen, easy," she replied. "Once we get those Star Destroyers to move out here, we'll make a run for Mimban. Hope you can hold it together that long, Captain."

Han smirked, shooting another Imperial buzzing nearby. "We got it covered. Right Chewie?" Chewbacca growled, nodding his furry head.

* * *

Bin Essada's eyes narrowed when he saw Captain Piett hurriedly leave his post near the _Executor's_ communication pit and approach Admiral Ozzel standing near the starboard side of the bridge. He briskly walked in their direction.

"Admiral Ozzel, our fighters are fully engaged with ships at Circarpous XIV."

"Are they rebels ships?"

"They don't appear to be given they are manufactured from small asteroids."

Essada paused next to them.

"Probably miners and scavengers," Ozzel waved Piett off dismissively. "Keep me advised."

"We're also tracking detachments on direct courses from IV and XII. There could be an underground rebel movement."

"But no sign of the rebel fleet or known rebel ships."

"Admiral," Essada broke in, "I have reinforcements of my own on the way," he said with an evil leer. "An additional compliment of destroyers and an Interdictor."

"Estimated time of arrival?" Ozzel asked.

"Within the hour."

Ozzel considered the statement. "Very well. We'll hold our position here until Lord Vader returns. Send an additional squadron of fighters to strengthen our ranks," he said to Piett.

"Yes, sir." Captain Piett spun on his heel and walked away.

"Admiral, I will take my Corvette out to XIV and supervise the battle personally," Essada said.

"As you wish, Governor."

* * *

Next to the Princess, Luke crouched behind a bulwark of striped travertine, gripping a pistol. Leia held one steady against the stone. Halla was to his right, her back against the same rise, gun also in hand. Hin and Kee were behind and to his left with their rifles. A line of Coway directly behind them waited with spears and slings loaded with large rocks.

They were all hidden inside the cavern mouth, just beyond the entry tunnel. Dozens of Coway were within meters of Luke, but he detected signs of only a few. Their concealment was nearly perfect.

"The Coway made short work of the Imperial advance scouts," Luke told Leia.

"Nice of them to contribute our weapons to us. One clear shot at Vader is all I ask," Leia snarled, her hands tight on the weapon stock.

"I hope you get it, Leia."

"But, what if Vader doesn't come with the attack force?"

"He's coming," Luke assured. "He'll want to supervise the capture, to make sure we're taken alive."

"Don't you two ever shut up?" Halla asked with a ragged whisper. "Hush now, children. Company's coming."

Silence reigned supreme. The rhythmic tread of the first Imperials preceded the familiar robot-like forms filing into view. They were marching cautiously. Phosphorescent blue-yellow light from the plant growth in the tunnel gleamed off slick armor and immaculate weaponry.

Closer they came, until Luke was afraid they would march right up to his wall before Halla and the chiefs agreed on the time to attack. Halla gave a vigorous nod.

A strident, powerful Coway voice boomed. "Now!" Halla shouted. "Let 'em have it!" The first of the Imperial troops were caught under a large net weighted with stones around its perimeter. Coway attacked them as the cavern dissolved into chaos.

Bursts of intense light from energy weapons created a berserk criss-cross of destruction. Luke fired his pistol over and over. Next to him came steady, confident thrums as Leia pinched off bursts from her gun.

Halla and the Yuzzem poured a hail fire down on the mass of confused, densely packed troops. Coway erupted from beneath cloth tarps and pulled startled troopers into hidden pits. Others appeared from behind stalagmites, or dropped from ceiling crevices.

Luke charged down the slight slope brandishing his lightsaber in one hand and the pistol in the other. Leia rushed after him.

One of the Yuzzem hefted a Stormtrooper high over his head. The soldier's four limbs flailed wildly. He was tossed over the helmets of others and crashed into a line of his compatriots, knocking them backward into a horde of waiting Coway who beat them with rock slings or stabbed them with spears.

The Yuzzem picked up an axe and made a powerful sideways swipe with it into a few more troopers with his left arm, growling viciously.

Energy bolts cracked wildly in all directions. Luke cut through the armored legs of one soldier. _Behind_ … The Force guided his arm as he swung backward. The blue of his saber intersected a beam fired at him by an Imperial rifle. Luke then lunged forward without thinking and jabbed another through the sternum. _Thanks, Obi-Wan_.

One of the Coway chiefs high above the main fray rose and shook his arms in the air. Several natives on a rise across the cavern pulled on a vine. A pinned stalactite plunged from its eons-old growing place. It landed with a titanic crash on top of a half-dozen Stormtroopers.

Luke hunted for one figure. It finally showed itself, standing aloof near the rear of the fighting crowd with Captain-Supervisor Grammel.

"Darth Vader!"

The Dark Lord heard him. The giant black shape activated his crimson saber and strode to the mob. His blade spun in a wild red blur, taking life and limb. He held out his left hand to block a blast of laser fire. Then he clenched his fist. One Coway clutched at his throat and fell away. The blade spun sideways, neatly cleaving through another native warrior. The laser shaft swung forward, deflecting a laser blast.

Vader's fingers pointed at two more Coway. They held their throats as they hovered in the air several feet off the ground. In a flash of red, the Dark Lord's lightsaber whirled in a diagonal sweeping motion, eliminating another pair of aborigine warriors. The two hovering in the air stopped struggling and fell to the cave floor.

The Dark Lord tossed his weapon like a spinning boomerang at a group to his left. His sword neatly curved back around to him where his gauntleted hand awaited, clasping tightly along the metal shaft. Vader's left palm rose again to block another bolt of stray laser fire.

Princess Leia took out two troopers making her way up an incline toward a stalagmite at the top. She ducked for cover and carefully aimed at several white clad Imperials creating a line of defense near the black figure throwing a whirling red energy blade through his attackers.

"Get up to higher ground!" Grammel ordered a small group of Stormtroopers. "Set up covering fire!" They achieved the summit of a small ridge and leveled their weapons on the chaotic horde below. Like hairy projectiles, Hin and several Coway dropped from hiding places above them.

Roaring with delight, the huge Yuzzem grabbed two of the armored troops at once and slammed them together. Another was tossed high through the air back in the direction he'd come from. Meanwhile, a muscular Coway cracked the neck of one soldier while his brother in arms brought an axe crashing down on white armor.

Surrounded by screaming natives, Vader paused in the midst of his fighting. Like an explosion, every living body around the Dark Lord was knocked backward and thrown well clear of his vicinity. He evaluated the battle and deactivated his blade. Vader shook a fist in Luke's general direction. "Our time will come, young Skywalker." He turned to a shaken Captain-Supervisor.

"Grammel! Re-form all survivors at the surface."

"Yes, my lord," the distraught Captain-Supervisor acknowledged with a wavering voice. Using a hand held communicator, Grammel signaled the retreat. "All troops pull back to the surface."

Small clumps of Imperial soldiers broke contact with the Coway and rushed into the tunnel.

Leia took aim on a single, black-clad figure surrounded by Grammel and a few remaining soldiers relentlessly striding toward the tunnel. "You're not going anywhere, Dark Lord. Not if I have anything to say about it."

As she pulled the trigger, Vader turned and gestured to the several lagging troops. A powerful beam of energy burned through his night black cloak. Leia smiled. "I got him!" Her joy turned to disappointment as the Dark Lord continued to stalk toward the tunnel.

"L-Lord Vader… Your cape," Grammel said.

"It's nothing. Follow me, Captain-Supervisor."

Frantically, the Princess re-aimed and fired just as Vader passed from view. The bolt exploded against the lowest part of the ceiling, annihilating rock and mineral but doing no damage to the evil figure beyond.

"Well, darn," she said softly, irritated at herself. She picked her way down to rejoin the fight although there wasn't much fight left to rejoin. Caught completely by surprise, the soldiers' numbers were decimated. Stragglers were methodically picked off by the victorious Coway. Well-aimed bolts from Kee and Halla pelted those who tried to break from the fighting.


	13. Chapter 12

**XII**

"Move out, move out!" Grammel half-shouted, waving his arm at Stormtroopers emerging from the tunnel entrance. "Let's go! Move it!"

Darth Vader waited on the hover skiff, observing.

When the straggling Imperials came up, Grammel strode over to the craft. "These are the last of the troopers, Lord Vader."

Grimly, the Dark Load scanned the men. Grammel stood at the head of their line and to the side, arms folded behind him.

"Twenty survivors, Captain-Supervisor," Vader said slowly, "out of a contingent of seventy." Grammel's mouth opened. "A massacre of good men," Darth Vader finished. Grammel's mouth closed and his eyes drifted down.

"Lieutenant," Vader said.

"Yes, sir," the Stormtrooper stepped forward.

"I will briefly leave the area to complete an important undertaking. You and the remaining troops are to remain here. You have a well-armed carrier at your disposal. Your assignment should be effortless. Guard the entrance. Set weapons to stun. When Skywalker and Senator Organa try to escape, you will capture them and hold them in your custody. I want them alive and unharmed. Kill the rest." Vader paused and pointed his right index finger at the Stromtrooper. "Don't fail me, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir."

"Puddra, we journey to the Temple of Pomojema," the Dark Lord turned to Grammel's sub officer.

"Yes, Lord Vader." He took his place behind the controls of the hover skiff.

"Captain-Supervisor," Vader turned to the scarred officer, pointing at him. Grammel's eyes peered up at the ebony helmet. "You will accompany me and explain exactly what went wrong with this operation."

Grammel straightened his arms and reluctantly boarded the transport. He sat at the far end. Puddra brought the skiff to life. The repulsion drive whined, blowing at vegetation below the craft's boat-like contours. A moment later, it sped off into the jungle.

* * *

Standing at the tunnel's mouth, Luke and Leia, the Yuzzem, and the 'droids waited as Halla came from behind, talking with one of the Coway chiefs.

"What's wrong, Luke? We won," Leia said.

Luke glanced back at Halla and then tilted his head to see further up the tunnel. "We have to hurry. We've been delayed too long already."

"Too long for what? We'll be well away from here by the time Vader returns with reinforcements."

Halla broke off her conversation and walked toward Luke and the Princess. "Vader didn't turn back to the town. I sensed him heading to the temple," Luke said.

"Ridiculous," Halla objected strenuously, waving an index finger through the air. "He hasn't got clue one where the temple is."

"Vader's more attuned to the Force than I am, Halla. He can feel the crystal's natural disturbance. But he has more than that to go on. We were traveling in a fairly straight line. All he has to do is follow it." Luke gazed up the tunnel again. "We can't let him get to the temple ahead of us." Luke walked ahead. Leia was quickly at his side, matching his anxious stride.

With a growling bark, Hin and Kee followed with Threepio and Artoo taking up the rear. "Come along, Artoo. At long last, we're going." Artoo beeped gleeful chirps.

The Coway chief mumbled to Halla. She looked at him and then toward Luke, her chin lifting slightly. "He says the troopers left a vehicle above, aimed at the exit. They're probably hopin' we'll jump out into their sights."

"Is there another way out?" Luke called back.

Halla said a few rough sounding words to the chief. He made a punctuated noise and grumbled something Halla repeated as, "Yes. C'mon."

With that, the Coway turned back to a small group of natives. Halla caught up to Luke. "Luke boy, that was some pretty intense infighting. An' you were right in the thick of things, weren't ya? Who taught ya ta use a lightsaber like that? This Kenobi you mentioned?"

Luke nodded. "He was a Jedi Knight. I owe everything to that old man." Luke patted the shaft of his father's weapon. "Wherever he's gone to, I hope he knows it."

"When we catch up with this Vader," she went on, "you know yer gonna need both your skill with that saber and the Force, right boy?"

Luke nodded. "By then, we'll have the crystal to help us."

"If only I'd taken more time!" Leia blurted. Luke and Halla looked at her. "I had Vader, Luke. I hit him. But he turned at the last instant. My shot only went through his cape. When I fired again, he had cover." She looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Everything is as the Force wills it, child," Halla said.

* * *

The second squadron of T.I.E. fighters swarmed toward the battle around Circarpous XIV. "Here come reinforcements, Chewie," Han said. "Set up rapid auto fire."

Chewbacca growled, flipping several switches. The Falcon's cannons spewed a continuous barrage of laser blasts, taking out three enemy craft in rapid succession. Chewbacca howled loudly when a circuit panel blew out near his head. The auto fire sequence died.

"Go back to manual. It's not my fault I can't repair every single part of the _Falcon_ at once." Han squinted as brilliant explosions rocked the cockpit from the starboard side. "I don't understand what's taking those destroyers so long to get out here."

Essada's Vigil-Class Corvette jumped into the middle of the fray near the heaviest fighting. T.I.E. fighters broke formation to avoid slamming into the small destroyer's hull. The _Nullifier's_ weapons fired, taking out chunks of nearby space debris.

"Here come the big guns," Bexen stated, swerving around a glowing orange cloud of superheated gas as she pulled up next to Han's ship.

"Not even close, sister," Solo called back after a cursory glance at his scopes. "None of those Star Destroyers orbiting V have moved."

The _Millennium Falcon_ turned over itself and swooped down and out of the plane of battle to avoid a pair of Imperial ships. Bexen pulled herself through a tight turn to keep pace.

One-by-one, three Star Destroyers jumped into the system. Han frowned. "This is more our luck, Chewie." The Wookie growled a ragged series of sounds. "Bring us around. It's time to go mining. Full power to the aft shields."

Bexen broke off in an attempt to lure some of the attackers away. Han piloted the _Millennium Falcon_ into the spiked cylinders floating silently near XIV. Four T.I.E. fighters wildly swept back and fourth, pulling off wild shots that missed their target with broad and embarrassing breadth. The first struck a small asteroid, shattering the port solar panel. The small fighter banked away, slamming into another chunk of rocky debris.

The lead destroyer followed the _Falcon_ , firing almost blindly into the swirl of rock and ice. Moments later, it struck one of the mines. The powerful explosion ripped a neat hole in the hull near the dorsal docking opening. A second pierced the starboard side along the hull under the bridge. A huge fireball rattled the craft. The mammoth ship's lights flickered and went out. A third, far more powerful detonation came from within as the ship's reactor exploded, effectively tearing apart the main body of its gray bulk.

* * *

Hands pressed against the view port of his bridge, Essada watched the Imperial ship disintegrate with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. "Notify Admiral Ozzel that we've encountered mines. Have the remaining fighters sweep the surrounding area. I want to know how many are out there."

* * *

Luke held up his hand as he and his companions neared the exit to the surface. Dim, misty air filtered down to them. The dank light was intoxicating after so much time underground traveling by way of the glow of vegetation. They emerged behind a clump of thick brush at least twenty meters from the main entrance. Artoo and Threepio exited last, the golden 'droid spreading his arms as his head turned to his barrel-shaped companion. "I can't tell you how glad I am to be back on the surface. All that dampness nearly caused my servos to seize up."

"If we'd come up the main shaft, you wouldn't have any servos to worry about," the Princess said, crouching next to Luke behind the brush. The squat Imperial transport vehicle sat on guard directly in front of the larger passage. The muzzle of the mounted gun was angled directly down the mouth of the tunnel.

Halla came up next to Luke and Leia and pulled the embroidered edge of her over cloak closer. She whispered, "Do you think you can catch up to this Vader on foot?" She gestured with her gun toward the crawler. "We're gonna need transportation."

"The crawler's full of Imperial troops."

Halla studied the vehicle. "The upper port's wide open. I see two men. One standing guard outside and one in the hatch. Maybe if we got into the branches over it…"

"Then what?" the Princess asked. "We jump inside?"

"Listen," the old woman protested, "I can't think of everything, can I? How 'bout drop an antipersonnel charge down on them?"

"Wonderful," the Princess quipped. She looked from Halla to Luke. "If one of you two magicians will use the Force to conjure up a convenient explosive canister, I'll volunteer to do the drop." She folded her arms.

Luke grinned. "We've got something better than explosives," he said, looking at Hin and Kee.

* * *

The lieutenant stared out the fore port at the ominous mouth of the cavern. "See anything moving out there?" he called up to the trooper posted on the turret.

"No, sir," he leaned toward the hatch.

"Nothing," the guard reported.

A body over a meter and a half tall dropped from a large tree branch overhead. It was covered with short, bristly fur. As the trooper snapped his head around to the Yuzzem, Kee barked loudly and yanked him from the turret, sending him sailing through the open air.

The guard turned to fire on the furry beast when Hin dropped down next to him and slammed his long arm across his chest, sending him flying backward, armor cracking hard against a large tree.

Kee dropped inside the crawler's interior. A series of startled howls of fear rose as Hin flipped up over the side to the open hatch and joined the chaos inside.

* * *

Luke, Leia, Halla, and the 'droids watched from nearby. A great deal of shouting and screaming, muffled by metal and distance, came from within the cabin.

Then silence.

Hin emerged from the turret opening and waved to them.

"They did it," Luke said with quiet excitement. He left his place of concealment in the underbrush and hurried across the ground-bog.

The Princess hesitated. Halla turned to her, "Well, come on. D'you wanna walk to the Temple of Pomojema?"

"I thought I'd hang back 'til the Yuzzem clear out the various body parts and stray organs."

Broad, hairy hands extended to help Luke up the metal side into the central area. Next, those hands lent Halla a surprisingly gentle touch in boarding at the driver's pod. One of the Yuzzem lifted a whistling Artoo into a socket next to the driver's controls. "Oh, do be careful," Threepio said when he was lifted up from under his arms. Leia came aboard last, taking a place with Luke and Threepio.

"Are you certain you can drive this thing?" Luke asked Halla, as she seated herself.

She grinned. "I did all right with the last one before the worm ate it, didn't I? Fire 'er up Artoo." The engine rumbled and the lights all flickered on. She bent forward and touched a button.

The crawler promptly jerked backward and crashed into a pair of entwined trees. "Of course, that's not to say a little practice wouldn't smooth out our ride." Once more she examined the controls and pursed her lips studiously. Halla rubbed her chin with the back of her index finger. "Forward. Forward… Ah, there it is." She touched another button.

Springing forward with a few spasmodic jerks and lunges, the crawler's momentum grew steady as it slid off into the mists. Luke, Leia, and the Yuzzem clung to the sides. "I wonder if the trees ahead are as nervous as I am," Luke said.

* * *

The hover skiff piloted by sub officer Puddra soared through the jungle while Captain-Supervisor Grammel looked up at Darth Vader from his seat on the bench.

"Your list of failures is impressive, Captain-Supervisor," the Dark Lord rumbled. "An entire chain of unnecessary events began because you were incapable of keeping Skywalker and Organa in your custody. You pulled all available men from their posts for a retrieval mission that should have been standard. Now, those posts are vacated, leaving the mining colony vulnerable. Defeating the natives should have been easy for well-armed Imperial troops. And again, you failed. The entire operation ended in a bloodbath. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, my lord. Who was to guess they were so well armed, or that the underground aborigines would put up such a fight?"

"The weapons were of small consequence," Vader growled. "A few guns in the hands of wanted criminals." Grammel cringed as the grotesque breath mask dipped close. "Admit it, Captain-Supervisor. Your troops had to be poorly trained and inadequately prepared to be routed by that mob of ignorant savages. Discipline and morale were absent in your ranks. You were lazy and incompetent, unable to run the mining colony efficiently. Your being in charge was a mistake. One I intend to correct."

"They took us completely by surprise, my lord," Grammel argued strenuously. "No native group has ever resisted the Imperial presence on Mimban before."

"No native group previously had the benefit of advanced help," Vader snapped back. "They did not employ wholly aboriginal tactics. You should have recognized the differences and taken appropriate countermeasures." He looked away from Grammel and gazed across the bog land. "I know which parties were responsible. When I hold the balance of the crystal in my hands, I will mete out justice accordingly."

"I'd hoped for that privilege myself," a disgruntled Grammel muttered.

Vader turned a cool, metallic stare downward and announced dangerously, "You have no privileges, Captain-Supervisor Grammel. I'm interested in successful results. Not debacles. I was a fool to assume you knew what you were doing."

"I told you, my lord," Grammel objected, angry and frightened, "their surprise was complete."

"Your groveling and your excuses befoul me, Grammel," Vader declared, "as does your very existence."

"My lord," Grammel babbled desperately, rising from the bench,

"if I -"

Faster than a human eye could follow, Vader's lightsaber was up, activated, and moving. The crimson blade cleaved down through Grammel's skull and torso. The Captain-Supervisor's slashed form pitched wildly backward and tumbled over the side of the crawler. There was a lull as a stunned Puddra looked on in terror.

Vader whirled and glowered down at him. "Return to your controls, Puddra! We will travel faster without the dead weight."

"Y-yes, my lord," the sub officer gulped. He forced himself back to the vehicle control board.

As they flew forward, Vader turned to glance back idly at the receding corpse of Captain-Supervisor Grammel. Jungle scavengers emerged from concealment to sniff at the body. With a hiss, the Dark Lord's blade receded into the lightsaber's hilt.

Removing the shard of Kaiburr Crystal from a sealed belt pocket, Vader swayed slightly as he held the glowing crimson splinter before his eyes.

It was there. Ahead. He could sense it.

* * *

Captain Piett stood before Admiral Ozzel and General Veers. "Sir, Governor Essada has encountered a mine field. An Imperial Capital Ship has been destroyed."

Admiral Ozzel paused, his expression. "Very well. Dispatch the rest of the fleet."

"Yes, sir," Piett nodded and walked briskly across the _Executor's_ deck.

Studying his scopes, Han Solo grinned. "Bexen, those Star Destroyers are finally headed this way."

"Keep your ship on my blind side, Captain. I'm going to take a wide, elliptical path in to V."

"Right beside you, sweetheart." The _Falcon_ swooped close to the rocky ship, pulling away from the battle.

* * *

The crawler raced across the misty landscape. "Are you sure we're on the right track?" Leia asked Halla. She scanned their surroundings hoping to spot the temple looming into sight.

"Certain of it," Halla replied with a smile. "Tell her, Luke boy. You can feel it, too, can't you?"

"We're getting close," Luke ventured. His whole body seemed to vibrate. Luke felt like he could slip beyond his flesh and join some unknown greater consciousness. "It's strange. I've never felt anything like it."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Leia said.

* * *

Standing on the forward platform, Darth Vader's breathing quickened. His pulse raced. He sensed their close proximity to the temple. Two black basalt spires rose above a pyramid-like structure.

"Do not approach from this side, Puddra," the Dark Lord cautioned. "Conceal yourself on the far side so Skywalker and Organa will see no signs of our presence."

"Yes, my lord." the sub officer complied.

Puddra steered around the base of the mammoth ziggurat and stopped within an alcove of trees. Vader strode down the ramp from his lofty position. "Stay with the transport," he ordered. "I will deal with them myself."

The temple was ancient, overgrown with jungle plants. Black rock was covered in mosses near ground level while vines climbed the rigid exterior, encircled huge stone vats, and wove across towers and decaying statues.

Finding an opening, Darth Vader cautiously stepped around a pile of rubble. He gazed at the slanted walls and vaulted ceilings, making his way to the center of the structure.

The worship chamber was lined with columns. Two piles of debris lay beneath large holes in the roof where the ceiling had collapsed.

Diagonally from his position, an enormous, enthroned statue sat in the shadows. Two billowing wings swept up its sides. Clawed hands and feet gripped the armrests and footstool. The face had no mouth. Only tentacles.

"Pomojema," the Dark Lord said softly. "How many millennia have you awaited my arrival?"

At the center of the statue's chest, undisturbed despite the ruin around it, rested the Kaiburr Crystal glowing a deep red hue.

A hissing sounded to Vader's left. He slowly turned and tipped his mask up to examine a large reptilian creature scrutinizing him. The Dark Lord stretched out his hand, holding his palm near the space between its eyes. It flicked a large forked tongue and rumbled deep in its throat. It laid its head on it front legs, closing its eyes half way.

"Perhaps you will be of some use to me," Darth Vader said softly.

For a moment, the Dark Lord stared at the ruby colored gem. With a quick pivot, he turned his back on the statue and walked across the stone hall to the temple's main entry point. The troop carrier he left behind at the Coway shaft was making its way here at a rapid pace.

Darth Vader retreated into a niche, backing into the darkest recesses. He stilled the sound of his breathing.

Silence fell over the temple.

* * *

Rising from the jungle growth ahead was a black apparition. A monstrous pyramidal ziggurat. The massive edifice was built of great blocks of volcanic stone. "Artoo, unless my visual receptors deceive me, we've found the temple at last," Threepio said. Artoo beeped from the open turret.

For all its breadth, the Temple of Pomojema was not very tall. Much of the stone crumbled to a fine powder. The entrance was a half-collapsed ten-meter high curved archway.

Luke climbed out. "There it is," he said, his breath pulling deep.

"It looks like it hasn't been disturbed for a million years," the Princess murmured in awe, leaning on the side of the central car. All her worries and uncertainties dissolved with the actual sight of the legendary temple. She hopped over the vehicle's side.

Hin and Kee lowered themselves to the ground. Halla stared at the ebony structure with a smile. "Seven years," she said softly. "Seven years I've been tryin' t' find this place." She looked at Threepio and Artoo. "You 'droids stay here and keep watch."

"Artoo and I will be right here if you need anything at all," Threepio said as Artoo beeped and whistled. Halla climbed down from the crawler.

"He isn't here," Luke said to the Princess. "Vader isn't here."

"Take 'er easy, Luke boy," Halla advised with a note of caution. "We can't be certain of that."

"I'd feel him if he were. There's no sign of a crawler or anything else." He walked quickly ahead.

"We still have to find the crystal," Halla called to him. But Luke's enthusiasm was contagious. Halla walked faster. Here was the Temple of Pomojema. She forgot the Dark Lord and last-minute trepidations. Hin and Kee flanked her as they strode to the entryway.

Luke stood on the topmost block of rubble in the entrance. Leia climbed over, looking up. "The holes in the roof let in plenty of light, but they don't appear terribly stable."

His gaze went higher and he squinted. "Hopefully, we won't be here long enough to find out."

"Go ahead, boy," Halla urged him, "but quietly. Quietly."

"You should go first, Halla," Luke replied. "This was your dream long before I even knew about it." In a few moments, the quintet was standing silently inside the ancient structure.

In two places high above, the domed roof had fallen in. Light came down in shafts to illuminate the temple's interior. Piles of broken stone lay scattered beneath each ragged hole.

Jungle growth had penetrated the inside. Lianas and other parasitic plants grew everywhere, extending their tenacious embrace into all corners of the building. They spiraled skyward on the cylindrical bodies of towering obsidian pillars. The unyielding supports were carved intricately with patterns and designs whose true meaning was forever lost to the long reaches of time.

They walked across the spacious floor toward the far side of the temple. A colossal statue was seated there against a dark wall. It represented a vaguely humanoid being seated on a carved throne. Leathery vestigial wings swept out in two awesome arcs to either side of the figure. It had no face below slanted, accusing eyes; only a mass of Medusian tentacles.

"There!" Halla pointed. "It's Pomojema, god of the Kaiburr." She chuckled, folding her hands. "It feels almost familiar somehow. That's crazy, of course." Her eyes landed on the deep red glow coming from the center of the statue's chest. She trembled, pointing excitedly, he voice shaking. "It's there! I knew it! I knew it!"

The Princess stared into the pulsing vanadinite light. "It's real - the

Kaiburr Crystal," she breathed softly.

Halla didn't hear her. The old woman's full attention remained focused on an obsession suddenly become attainable.

There was movement to the left of the leering stone figure. Luke stopped. It was dark back there, and there was no telling how far the darkness stretched. "Back up everyone. Slowly."

The creature lumbered from behind the statue, a giant leathery body covered with thick scales. Spines crowned its head and ran in a line down the length of its back to the tip of the tail. Two slit yellow eyes blinked at them as it moved on ponderous legs thick as tree stumps. The wide-open mouth formed a batrachian grin fringed with short sharp teeth.

Halla's pistol was the first to be aimed. "There's no way I'm givin' up the crystal now." She fired. The beam of energy deflected away with no visible effect on the creature.

The hulking lizard plodded toward them. Luke and Leia had their pistols out. All three of them fired. The joint barrage only irritated the sluggish beast. It blinked and continued its bowlegged walk toward them at a faster pace.

They retreated toward the entrance. "Hin, Kee," Luke called to the Yuzzem. "Get the rifles from the crawler!"

Hin chittered a reply. Both Yuzzem raced for the exit. Luke took his lightsaber from his belt. He activated the powerful blue beam and started cautiously forward.

"Luke, are you crazy?" the Princess shouted.

The advancing carnivore hesitated within snapping distance, hypnotized by the weaving saber beam.

"Get back!" Luke lunged forward. The saber skimmed the creature's side leaving no visible sign of damage. Its jaws parted to reveal a gullet high and wide enough to stand in. Luke saw movement and threw himself sharply to his left in a rapid roll.

A long pink tongue exploded outward, pulverizing a black boulder behind him. The tongue quickly snapped back into the lizard's mouth. As Luke rolled to his feet and backed away, the creature spat out chunks of rock.

Before Luke could move out of range, the thick tongue shot out again. Unable to dodge, he held his saber tightly in front of him. It seemed pitifully inadequate against the pink pseudopod. The sizzling sound, however, was loud. Luke contacted sensitive tissue. The reptile let out a throaty yelp. With single-minded determination, it resumed stalking Luke with narrowed yellow eyes.

"Halla, Leia, run!" Luke said.

Unexpectedly, the scaly monster jumped forward. Luke ducked beneath its bite as horizontal door-jaws snapped shut with a ringing thud. Luke stumbled into a thick pillar supporting the roof. One of the gaps in the soaring ceiling was directly above.

Luke shot an anxious glance toward the entrance. _Where are the Yuzzem?_ He couldn't avoid this angry behemoth much longer.

The prehistoric animal crawled after Luke. With a quick glance at the ceiling and an even quicker decision, Luke swung the lightsaber at the pillar's base.

With a diagonal cut, the energy beam sliced through black stone. The pillar slid. A rumbling noise followed, punctuated by explosive cracklings.

Trudging toward Luke, the enormous lizard creature never noticed the cracks in the ceiling overhead. They spread, multiplied, and joined.

Centuries old stone disintegrated, bringing a section of roof as wide as the existing gap down on top of the monster. Gigantic blocks of curved stone crushed its front end to pulp, forever stilling the toothy grin.

Rumbling echoes of the collapse subsided. Black dust settled. Luke was pinned on his back. A massive block rested on his right thigh and calf. He looked behind him. There was no sign of the front end of the beast. It was buried completely beneath tons of volcanic rock. Twitching hind legs clawed futilely at the air while the massive scimitar tail smashed at the ground. In seconds, all movement ceased.

"Luke, where are you?" the Princess asked.

"Over here. I'm okay. Just can't get loose. What happened to Hin and Kee?"

"They're probably arguing," the Princess essayed in disgust.

He quickly looked around for Halla. She trotted toward the distant idol. "Halla!"

Leia kneeled next to Luke and tried to move the block. "Let her go. She's not going anywhere with it."

"Try again," he instructed her. They strained together. Leia put her back against the edge of the stone. The block did not move.

"Go get Hin and Kee. They can lift this block easy."

"I'm afraid your slow-witted companions will no longer be able to help you or anyone else, Skywalker," a deep rumbling voice said.

Luke went cold all over. A tall, blood-chilling shape stood on top of the rubble in the entrance. Clad completely in black armor, the spectral silhouette stared down at them.

"Unfortunately, they're both dead," Darth Vader informed them with a voice devoid of any spark of humanity. "I killed them. As for your 'droids, they're deactivated."

Slowly Leia's mouth moved. No sound issued from between those perfect lips. Moving leisurely down the pile of rubble, Darth Vader addressed them in a coldly conversational tone. "Rebel agents are hard and expensive to come by, Skywalker. I had a difficult time finding out it was you who destroyed the Death Star station. You have a great deal to atone for to me. I've waited a long time."

Casually, the Dark Lord ignited his crimson lightsaber and swung the activated energy blade loosely back and forth, chopping playfully at bits of stone and carving.

"You were lucky that day in the snub ship," Vader went on, as Luke fought to pull his pinioned leg free. "I probably won't have the patience to let you last as long as you deserve. Consider yourself fortunate."

His voice dropped to a toxic whisper. "I expect no such difficulty in restraining myself where you are concerned, Leia Organa. In several ways you are more responsible for my setbacks than this boy.

"Do you remember that day back on the station," Vader mused, with deliberate patience, "when the late Governor Tarkin and I _interviewed_ you?"

Leia had her hands on opposite shoulders. She shivered as if from intense cold.

"Yes," Vader hissed slowly, "I can see you do. I don't have a medical 'droid with me, however," he swung his weapon lightly, "I will show you some rather novel uses for a lightsaber before you die… If you promise not to pass out."

"Monster!" Leia's hands dropped to her sides. She forced the fear into the back alleys of her mind by sheer will. She knelt next to Luke. When she rose, she was holding his activated lightsaber carefully in one hand.

"Leia," Luke gasped. "No!"

"You're going to fight, un-trained in the Jedi arts? This will be… _interesting_."

She brandished the lightsaber. "The Force give me leave to kill you before I die," Leia snarled.

"The Force is not with you. It is with me." Vader assumed a ready position. "Come, girl… amuse me."

Mouth clenched, with grim determination, Leia lunged at the black form. As she did, Vader abruptly let his arm fall. The lambent beam of his weapon hung limply at his side.

"Leia, don't!" Luke yelled to her. "It's a feint. He's daring you."

Leia stabbed straight at Vader with the tip of the saber. Simultaneously, the Dark Lord brought his beam up in a lightning sweep to parry hers. She swung side-to-side wildly. With a spinning, twisting arc, she brought her saber down in a slashing blue flare. Energy crackled near the Dark Lord's armored breath mask. Superhuman reflexes enabled him to avoid the blow. If there was anyone in the vast chamber more surprised than Vader, it was Luke. He fought to free his trapped leg with a slight twinge of hope.

"Almost, little Princess," Darth Vader said, jerking his index finger at her, "almost. I've been guilty of overconfidence before." He adjusted his stance. "I will not be guilty again."

Vader's blade curled in, around, and down. She barely deflected the blow and backpedaled. The Dark Lord advanced with a sweeping stroke. She deflected the cut.

Vader pressed his attack. It required every bit of skill and strength the

Princess possessed to simply defend herself. There was no thought of mounting an assault of her own.

One occupant of the temple chamber was not watching the fight. High above and far away from the duelists, Halla stood at face level with a pulsing, uniquely multifaceted crimson crystal as big as her head. Deep grooves and long lines on its surface gave the gemstone a supernatural quality worthy of its power.

"I've been waiting a long time to find you," she said softly. With trembling hands, Halla reached out and caressed it. The power flowed up her arms and into her very being. "That's it. Come to me." A twist and pull brought it out of its socket in the statue with unexpected ease.

For a long moment Halla held the jewel in both hands, gazing deeply into a tingling, vibrating luminescence. "You're mine now, and I'll never give you up." She picked her way back down the juts and thrusts of the idol, clutching the crystal tight to her bosom with her right hand.

Vader cut down. The Princess brought her saber up to parry. At the last instant, Vader changed his swing. The tip of the energy beam slashed across Leia's midsection, slicing through her miner's suit, leaving a black burn across her middle. She winced in pain and grabbed at the wound with her free hand. Vader allowed her no respite and pressed forward.

Luke's efforts to free himself left him as firmly pinned as ever. And utterly exhausted. He lay on the ground, fighting to get his breath and energy back, forced to watch helplessly as Vader continued his cruel and deadly sadistic game with the Princess.

Another intricate swing-and-thrust from the great black form. This time, Vader's saber cut across her cheek up to the forehead, leaving another ugly scorch mark. Tears came as her hand went to the burn. She moved slowly backward, the hand holding Luke's lightsaber shaking.

"Come, Princess. Where is your noble fortitude?" Vader taunted her. "Your traitor's determination? A few burns cannot hurt so much."

Enraged, she swung the shimmering blue blade at the Dark Lord with fresh strength. Without strain, he blocked it completely. He moved forward and cut at Leia again. Though she blocked the cut, the force of the blow sent her tumbling to the ground. Vader was relentless. He stalked her as she tried to crawl away and regain her feet. His blade drew a black scar down the back of her left leg.

Screaming, Leia rolled over and ended up standing. Then she moved away from Vader with a limp favoring her damaged leg.

"Keep your guard up, Princess," Luke called out.

Clink. A sound of rock on rock. Raising his head and turning, Luke looked behind him. The sound repeated. He tried to see around the stone trapping him.

A hand, seemingly independent of arm and body, worked its way with slow determination over the side of the big block of volcanic stone. A head followed it. A terrible wound showed halfway through the upper portion of the skull.

"Hin!" Luke called softly, hardly daring to breathe.

Vader's full intent was focused on the Princess. Another slash at Leia's hip caused her to cry out. "Come, little Senator. Where's your fighting spirit?" he asked.

The fatally injured Yuzzem put a hand to its snout, ordering Luke to silence. Crawling on hands and knees, Hin came around the stone until he was beneath an overhanging edge. Backing up against the supporting rocks, he started to rise. Massive shoulders bristled, pressed upward against the long rock. Arms strained. The boulder did not move, and Hin fell to the floor. His breathing was labored, his eyes half closed.

"Come on, Hin!" Luke urged frantically, his gaze traveling from the fight on the floor back to the prone Yuzzem. "You can move it… just a little."

Hin blinked, staring at Luke without really seeing him. Moving mechanically, he positioned heavy-muscled arms and shoulders underneath the edge once more.

"This may be your last chance," Vader admonished Leia. He threatened her with false cuts and thrusts. She feebly tried to block, limping on her damaged leg.

"Stand and fight," he urged her. "Destroy me." Another downward arc of the lethal saber, this one cutting across her chest. The Princess sucked in an agonized gasp, bent over, and almost fell. Vader marched toward her.

A loud rumbling sound, the grinding of rock, caused both the Dark Lord and the Princess to look toward Luke.

With a final effort, Hin shoved the huge stone block aside. The Yuzzem fell in a lifeless heap as Luke scrambled clear. He ran toward the two combatants, favoring his right leg, feeling it grow stronger with every step.

"Luke! Here…" Leia threw the saber. Vader grabbed to intercept the hilt, missing by a finger-length. The Dark Lord's hand had Leia by the collar. Luke caught the spinning blue weapon in his right hand. Vader shoved the Princess away. She fell hard to the floor and lay there panting.

As his fist closed around the saber haft, Luke felt reborn. With renewed vigor, he rolled to his right. Vader's blow was an instant late, cutting a deep furrow in the stone floor.

On his feet, Luke was behind Vader, standing between the Dark Lord and the Princess. Vader regarded him silently.

"Leia?" There was no answer. He glanced backward. "Princess?"

A thin, weak voice said, "Don't worry about me, Luke."

Vader inhaled deeply. "Yes, Skywalker," he rumbled, "don't worry about her. Worry about yourself." Vader swung to his left. Luke deflected the blow. The crimson blade swung over to his right. Again, Luke blocked. _Let the Force flow through you, Luke…_

Energy tingled through Luke's arm muscles and pulsated in his chest. The Force guided his every action.

Swinging his weapon up in a high arc, the Dark Lord brought it down at Luke's head. Luke blocked him high and made a low sweep at the legs. Vader jumped over the azure laser blade.

"I'm not worried about anything," Luke said with a certain amount of conviction. He felt a wild sense of elation brandishing his father's saber. "I'm going to kill you, Darth Vader."

"You hold a high opinion of yourself."

"I'm… I'm Ben Kenobi," Luke whispered in an odd way.

For just a moment Vader froze, studying his prey, shaken by the words. "Kenobi's dead." Vader shifted to the side very slightly. "I killed him myself. You're a simple farm boy - no master of the Force. You will never be Obi-Wan's equal."

"Ben, and the Force, are with me now," Luke snarled, holding his saber out higher at the shifting form of the Dark Lord.

"You do have something of the Force about you," Vader admitted. "But you are not its master. Only a master could do… this."

The Dark Lord lunged. Luke spun well clear, aware of everything in the temple, including a fragment of the fallen ceiling. It rose and shot straight for his head.

Luke felt it. He reacted just as Kenobi had taught him - without thinking.

A smaller fragment intersected the path of Vader's projectile. Though Vader's missile was larger, it was knocked harmlessly away.

Luke set his jaw and narrowed his eyes, staring at Vader. "Impressive," the Dark Lord confessed, "Most impressive. But my stone was heavier." Vader took a harsh forward chop at Luke. Luke blocked. "My powers greater."

Cutting in the other direction, Luke met Vader's blade again. "Not strong enough, Vader," Luke insisted. He lunged forward. His thoughts were of Kenobi, of the saber techniques and manipulation over the Force the old Jedi Knight laboriously taught him. The energy field guided his arm.

Vader parried, blocked, parried again, and found himself forced backward by the aggressiveness and skill of Luke's attack. His breath mask tilted back for a second. A section of heavy bas-relief on one of the supporting pillars loosened and fell away.

Luke sensed it, jumped backward, and cut through the stone. The huge carved panel shattered between them. "You have learned much, young one," Vader stated. "But the end will be the same." He raised his blade and leaped over the broken panel.

Now it was the Dark Lord who initiated the assault. Luke was forced steadily backward as Vader threw his blade in seemingly every direction. They circled the center of the temple floor. A blizzard of stone shards pelted Luke.

Lying on her side, the Princess tried to turn and watch. The pain seized her. Her eyes closed and she slumped back to the cold stone.

Again the two enemies paused. Luke panted while Vader's breathing had quickened. He didn't hold his weapon with the same assurance.

"Obi-Wan… has taught you well," the Dark Lord admitted with admiration. His usual insouciance was drained. "You have a natural ability of your own. You have proven a challenge. I enjoy a challenge."

Power flowed through him. Luke whispered defiantly, "Too much of a challenge for you!"

"Don't overestimate yourself." The Dark Lord drew himself up to his full, awesome height. "I have finished playing with you."

Swinging his saber in a wide arc, Vader flung his blade. The lethal crimson weapon whirled so fast; there was no time to think. Luke parried. The kinetic energy of the thrown saber knocked Luke's out of his hand. Both weapons flew off to his right and lay gleaming on the ground near a gaping black opening in the floor.

Hovering in the air like a great obsidian raven, Vader grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and curled his fingers tightly. "This contest is finished. Farewell." A net of pure white energy crackled toward the wide-eyed Luke.

Luke threw up both hands and looked away. He gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes closed as every muscle in his body tightened. His hands seemed to blur. The energy struck them and rebounded. Vader was blown head over heels through the air while Luke was thrust to the ground.

Now he lay on his belly while Vader rolled slowly onto his side, shaking his head. He focused on an otherwise unharmed Luke walking slowly to his lightsaber.

Vader was on his right knee. "Such power in a child. Not possible!"

Luke had neither the strength nor the desire to argue. He saw only the saber and felt its smooth handle fit into his palm.

Vader's weapon jumped through the air into the Dark Lord's gauntlet. He rose to his feet. "An impressive effort, Skywalker, but I sense it has cost you dearly. Surrender now and I will kill you quickly."

"Never!" Holding his father's saber over his head, Luke rose, rushed at the Dark Lord and threw himself at the towering black figure.

As their blades crossed in a blinding flash of light, the back of Vader's left fist cracked across Luke's face. Luke's blade slid through the downward blow and struck the Dark Lord's right arm. Vader growled as blue pierced the stone floor. Luke's hand struck a rock and jarred his saber loose.

He hit the ground hard, then rolled onto his back to see what had happened. Vader stared at the floor. His right arm lay there gripping the glowing crimson blade. There was no blood. Just wires and machinery. Luke tried to rise. He no longer retained the strength to climb to his knees, let alone regain his feet.

In uneven and unsteady steps, the Dark Lord wobbled to his severed arm. He stepped down on the wrist and detached the crimson blade from his iron grip. Holding it in his left hand, he faced a wide-eyed Luke.

Vader raised the saber with his one remaining hand. _It's over_ , Luke thought. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Master of the Dark Side of the Force, was invincible.

"Your strength is spent, Skywalker. Time now for you to die."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you Leia," Luke turned to the Princess, crumpled on the temple floor. He looked back up, eyes wide, mouth gaping. The crimson blade soared above and behind Vader's head.

In an instant, Darth Vader saw the old woman. She stood at the edge of the great hall holding the deep red gemstone.

Everything made sense now. The failed attacks on Luke.

Young Skywalker was channeling the power of the Kaiburr Crystal. Vader should have claimed it first, then dealt with the young would-be Jedi.

Vader's mind clouded. The old woman was slashing at him with a pink energy blade, hacking away at his skull. Every stinging, burning sensation rippled across his consciousness and tore into his senses. "You leave Luke alone," she said forcefully, her mouth twisted into a determined frown. "I won't let you kill him! You wanna take on someone who's a real challenge, then take on me!"

Vader was unable to block the mental assault. Everything quickly descended into a pink blur. "I won't let your evil multiply through the crystal," Halla said.

From Halla's lightsaber, pink lightning surrounded Darth Vader, tearing into the flesh beneath his armor. The pain was terrible. Excruciating.

Gathering up his rage in a howling maelstrom of inner strength, Vader blocked off Halla's assault and pulled her consciousness close.

Halla's eyes opened wide. Her face went pale. She felt cold fire dance through her veins. Unadulterated hate lashed out at her. Images of Vader's battles and conquests, of hunting a slaughtering the last remaining Jedi, flooded through her mind. She held her hands up to her temples and squeezed her eyes closed, howling.

 _I will deal with you momentarily_ , Vader projected into her mind.

Drawing back, Halla pushed with all her inner strength, forcing the Dark Lord out of her mind. A pink energy shield slammed into Vader, snapping him back into reality.

Halla stood to the side of the chamber with the crystal. Luke lay on the ground before Vader, frightened. The old woman gave one final push. The Dark Lord lunged forward.

And disappeared.

A dissonant, inhuman howling marked the descent of the Dark Lord of the Sith down the black shaft. Frowning, Luke crawled slowly over to the rim of the black circle, and peered in.

He couldn't see the bottom of the pit, or any sign of Darth Vader. "He's gone," Luke mumbled, dazed. "Gone down to where he belongs, I hope."

* * *

With every ounce of anger and rage, Darth Vader growled. The fall was endless. He floated helplessly. Weightlessly. His inner soul burned hot as fire as he focused himself and called on the Force to slow his descent.

Holding his crimson blade with his one remaining arm, the Dark Lord had the presence of mind to jab it into the stone wall as a way to further slow himself.

In doing so, his arm dragged and caught on the rough stone surface. His helmet smacked against something hard, knocking out the right eye and cracking his mask. Pain seared his neck. Billowing robes clung to stone edges and tore.

By sheer force of will, Vader turned himself to face the wall and slammed into some kind of ledge, ripping off part of his shoulder armor and damaging his chest plate. A long line of flowing molten rock created by his saber stretched up into the eternal blackness.

Vader let out a howl of pain when his left leg slammed into another ledge, sending shooting agony up through his hip. When he slid far enough, Darth Vader gripped the edge with his remaining hand, swaying above the unknown. His shoulder felt as if it might pull right out of its socket.

Breathing shallow, Vader felt around with his right leg. There was a small outcropping, just enough to get about half of his booted foot across to help brace himself. He couldn't get his left foot to do the same.

Calling on the Force, the Dark Lord held himself steady. He pulled the lightsaber from the wall and carefully surveyed the shaft illuminated by the blade's reddish glow.

The wall of the deep well shaft was circular and constructed from ancient volcanic bricks. Taking a look down, there was no bottom to be found. Vader had no way of knowing how far he'd fallen, or for even how long. But he knew it was far. Dangerously far.

Darth Vader was cut off from the safety of the world above. His suit was badly damaged. Separated from technology, he could very well die down here.

Carefully, he turned his lightsaber off and attached it to his belt. Reaching up with his left hand, Vader found something to grip. He pressed his body as close to the wall as he could.

 _Sky… walk… er…_

* * *

Luke looked across the floor as he struggled to sit up, balancing himself on one arm. "Leia… He's gone, Leia." And yet there remained a stirring, a faint tremor in the Force, so light he could barely sense it. But it was there. Vader was alive!

Yet Vader was no threat to them. That was enough for now. He dragged his exhausted body across the floor. "Leia. Leia!" Reaching her, he extended a palm and touched her forehead. She opened her eyes.

"Luke?" she breathed, barely audible. She smiled at him. Taking her hand in his own, he slumped to the ground at her side.

At the top of the rubble blocking the entrance, Halla saw the two figures lying hand-in-hand in the middle of the temple floor. Her gaze turned downward into the glowing crimson of the Kaiburr Crystal. "Damn," she said to herself. "Aw, damn! Selfish old woman."

Halla picked her way down the pile of broken stone. "Luke!" She propped his limp form up and stared into the somnolent face. "Luke boy? Come on, you're frightening old Halla."

His eyes opened and he turned, squinting at her. "Halla?"

She sighed and placed the crystal in his lap. "C'mon, boy. Here… You take the ol' crystal. I don't want it. I can't do much with it. It magnifies the Force, true. But I'm just a big faker, a charlatan of the Force. Always have been. Not a master. I wanted it so I could do bigger and better parlor tricks. I'd waste it, and the Empire would find me anyway."

He reached down and caressed the gemstone. "Feels warm… good."

Luke was enveloped in a rich, red bath of light. In his hands the Kaiburr Crystal pulsed and glowed with an unnatural brilliance. It shifted, fluttered, and ran over him, seeking every extremity and follicle.

After several rapturous moments, the radiant envelope shrank, sucked up by the mineral, which reassumed its normal hue.

Abruptly, Luke sat up. He blinked once and looked at the old woman. "Halla… What happened?"

"It was the crystal - remember the legends - how the temple priests could heal?"

"That's right…" He reached down and touched the Princess' shoulder. "Leia?"

"Hold the crystal in both hands," Halla said.

Luke lifted the precious ruby colored stone and closed his eyes. He relaxed and concentrated. The reddish glow from the crystal intensified, filling him with the tingling energy of the Force. The radiance flowed up Luke's arms and enveloped Princess Leia's body. The black wounds inflicted by Darth Vader's lightsaber faded. "You're doin' it. She's healin' up fine," Halla said.

The glow subsided to normal. Uninjured, Leia Organa slowly sat up. Both hands went to her head.

"Leia, are you all right?" he asked.

She winced, staring at him. "Luke… I have an awful headache."

"Headache," he echoed. He turned, smiling at Halla. "She has a headache."

"Ain't it wonderful?" Halla grinned back at him, chuckled, and then laughed.

The Princess glanced down at herself. She felt her leg. Her face. "I'm healed. How?"

"It was the crystal, Leia. It healed us both. Everything Halla said about it is true. It uses the Force."

"No, Luke boy, you were the agent the crystal worked through. Without you, wouldn't be nothin' but a pretty rock."

Leia stopped, stared around nervously. "What about…?"

"He's gone… for now," Luke indicated the pit. "Down there. I never heard him hit bottom." As he said it, there was that peculiar tingling in the Force again, like the smell of sulfur passing through his body.

* * *

With nothing to do but cling precariously to the shaft wall, Vader reflected on the folly of this quest. It had been a comedy of errors. Lax men with little motivation surrounded the Dark Lord. Worse than that, he had underestimated the boy's abilities.

How long had Obi-Wan trained young Skywalker? And there was the question of how long the old woman had trained him as well. Who was she? Vader didn't recognize her. Just some fringe adept with no formal training?

Luke sensed Vader's approach and mounted a defense, mobilizing the natives against the Imperial forces. And just as Darth Vader had Luke and the Kaiburr Crystal within his grasp, he and the old woman managed to best him and collect the artifact.

What was it about this boy? He'd had the audacity to take on a Dark Lord of the Sith. What made him so special?

Using his right leg, Vader pushed up. He searched for another ledge above his left hand. There was nothing he could grab onto. Reluctantly, Vader regained his handhold.

 _How does everything about Luke fit together?_

Flashes of distant, long dormant memories flickered in Vader's mind. Happy times. Times of being Obi-Wan's pupil. Times when the prospects of a family…

Vader's breathing paused.

 _Could Skywalker…?_

 _How is_ that _even possible?_

The name Skywalker was fairly common in the galaxy. But this individual; his abilities with the Force…

Why was it the name Skywalker had struck Darth Vader like a heavy body blow when it was whispered from the dying rebel's lips?

Had Vader sensed it then?

 _Master…_ Vader reached out through the Force. _Master, I need you…_

* * *

Outside by the crawler, Leia held a tool in her right hand and smiled at Halla. "Remember your promise to help us get a ship, Halla," she said.

"I know just the one," Halla smiled with a wink, waging an index finger in the air. "I'm gonna miss you kids a bit, you know."

"And we have to shut down that mine, too," Luke reminded her. "Here," Luke passed the gemstone to Halla. She eyed him uncertainly, and then took it, holding it close. "You might as well keep it for awhile, since you're coming with us."

"With you?" Halla echoed. "What good would I do you?"

"A universe of good," Luke assured her. "We'll get you safely off Mimban with us. Then, if you still don't feel like joining the cause of a bunch of 'outlaws,' you don't have to."

"Don't rush me," she instructed him crossly. "I might be persuaded. Force knows what you want with me, though. But where are we going?"

Luke looked down at Leia and smiled. She smiled in return. "We're going to Circarpous IV," he informed her. "We're late for a very important date. With the underground movement. We'll make an revolutionary out of you yet, Halla."

"Not likely!" she grinned.

Luke switched Artoo on first, followed by a startled Threepio.

"Oh, Master Luke, sir! Where is he? Artoo and I couldn't escape. I tried to warn you -" He stopped, photoreceptors staring at them. "Why are you all smiling?" Artoo beeped in exasperation.

"Ya know, Threepio," Halla said, "for a 'droid whose specialty is talkin' all the time, you're mighty slow on the uptake." Luke, Leia, and Halla all chuckled.

"I beg your pardon," Threepio continued politely. "Have I missed something important? Why do I have the impression everyone is laughing at me?"

A sudden blast of laser fire exploded off the side of the crawler.


	14. Chapter 13

**XIII**

"What in ding blazes?" Halla said, ducking down. A second blast of laser fire melted a small hole in the metal near her. She sought cover around the front corner of the crawler. "Looks like we got company, kids," Halla said.

"Oh!" Threepio yelped, shuffling quickly around the back corner. "Artoo! Hurry! That dreadful Sith Lord has come back to dismantle us." A third blast pelted the crawler's metal skin. Artoo whistled and rolled after the golden 'droid.

Luke and Leia ran around the back. "Vader must've had an escort," Luke said, reaching up into the crawler pod. His hand grasped one of the rifles. He held the weapon at ready trying to get a bead on whoever was firing on them.

"Luke boy, you see anything?" Halla asked, keeping her head low.

"Not yet," Luke replied.

The next shot came from within the temple's entrance. Leia ducked. "I guess we should've known it'd be too easy to slip away," the Princess said.

Luke squeezed a shot off at the shadowed entryway. "I got to thinking about that before; how Vader caught up to us so quick." Enemy fire rang out. Luke aimed for the spot where the blast came from. "He had to use a faster transport. If we can find it…"

"We can get the hell away from here a lot faster," Halla finished for him. "Hey, you 'droids, come with me!" Halla pointed at Threepio and Artoo.

"Halla," Leia called after the old woman as she pulled her hood up. Halla craned her head around. "What do you think you're doing?"

Halla winked and smiled. "I'm gonna go see about getting' us a better ride." She held the Kaiburr Crystal close. Threepio and Artoo were behind her. "Luke boy, lay me down some cover."

"Be careful," he said and started shooting randomly into the darkened archway. Halla bent down and jogged along the side of the temple's exterior wall with the two robots in tow.

"How do I ever get myself into these messes, Artoo?" Threepio asked. The barrel shaped 'droid beeped.

"I ask myself the same thing most times," Halla said.

A few return vollies of laser fire struck the crawler. Luke lay in another quick round of blasts. "Whoever it is didn't see Halla break away. I hope that's a good sign."

"Me, too," Leia said. "I don't want to be around when reinforcements show up."

"Or when Vader crawls out of that hole," Luke said.

* * *

Weaving quickly through trees and vegetation, Halla and the 'droids circled to the back of the temple. She spotted the hover skiff parked in a small clearing. "There!" she pointed. "Artoo, you scannin' anything?"

The little 'droid beeped. "Artoo's sensors detect no signs anyone is nearby," Threepio translated.

"Wonderful! 'Bout time things started lookin' our way, don'tcha think?"

"I heartily agree."

She crept toward the skiff and chuckled. "Warms my heart to think o' the face that stuffed shirt Imperial's gonna make when he sees his skiff takin' off without him."

Halla boarded first, holding a finger to her lips while cautioning the 'droids forward up the ramp. She leaned down to check the pilot's compartment. "It's all clear, boys," she said. "Artoo, start us up. We're gettin' out of here."

Chirping, the little Detoo unit followed Halla into the enclosed cockpit and plugged into the skiff's ignition. The craft immediately came to life. Halla swung the massive machine around, plunging into the surrounding jungle mists and cries of Mimban.

* * *

Luke leaned flush against the crawler's metal body as a round of laser fire flared wildly near he and Leia. Holding his gun out, Luke paused when a laser canon blasted at the entrance. His eyes darted to the left. He smiled as the hover skiff floated to them. "She did it!"

"C'mon, kids, let's go!" Halla's voice called out.

Luke and Leia ran up the boarding ramp, which retracted in the space of a few seconds. The skiff floated higher in the air and rocketed over the trees, leaving the temple behind.

"Hey!" Puddra yelled, running out into the open, waving his arms. "Hey!" He stood there helplessly, limbs at his sides.

* * *

"Gotta say, I'm real impressed with this buggy," Halla grinned. "We can just about get anywhere in less than a day flyin' around 'stead of dodgin' mud holes and wandrella."

"Where are you taking us?" Leia asked.

"I know where there's an unmanned communications relay station. I'm gonna piggy back a message to someone I know with a ship on Circarpous IV."

"Finally," Leia sighed, "we can get off this planet."

"Won't be long now, I promise," Halla said.

"What about the mine?" Luke asked.

"Don't worry, Luke boy. My contact's got some pretty big guns."

* * *

How long had it been? Darth Vader didn't know. His sense of time was skewed.

Darkness was all encompassing. Blackness was absolute. The quiet was final. The silence of death.

Here, so far below the surface of Mimban; far from the life-giving sunlight, water, and air; there was nothing. Tens of thousands of years of nothing. Just a shaft built by a race of aliens who were extinct for an eon.

Time pressed on its slow, inevitable forward march with no one anywhere in the universe knowing anything about this shaft.

No one would ever know where to find Darth Vader.

 _Master… Please…_

 _I am helpless…_

 _I_ hate _being helpless…_

* * *

Seated behind the wheel of the crawler, Puddra disassembled his gun and removed the power pack. He opened a panel in the control board of the vehicle and slipped the pack into a slot connected to the on-board communicator. He pressed a button. A small screen blinked to life, filled with white static. A slow, modulating hiss came from the speaker.

"Requesting immediate assistance," he said. "This is a request for immediate assistance. Is anyone receiving my signal? This is an urgent request for immediate assistance."

* * *

High above Mimban, on the bridge of the massive Super Star Destroyer _Executor_ , Captain Piett stood in the communications pit monitoring all routed traffic within the system.

"Captain, we're picking up a remote signal from Circarpous V," one of the men at a computer station said.

Piett positioned himself behind the young man. "On screen." Static filled the visual link while a garbled voice broke through with fragments of words. "Boost the gain." A set of knobs was turned, clearing the signal to show an Imperial in grey with a helmet.

"- questing immediate assistance."

"This is Captain Piett on board the Command Ship _Executor_. Please identify yourself."

"-sub officer Puddra. This is an urgent request for immediate assistance."

"What kind of help do you require?"

"Salvage and recovery. I was with Lord Vader. Rebel agents attacked him. Send a recovery team and medical help as quickly as possible to the following coordinates." A series of figures representing longitude and latitude flashed below the video signal.

"A team will be dispatched immediately." Piett turned to a guard stationed along the wall behind him. "Have a shuttle readied at once complete with search and recovery 'droids and a medical pod."

"Yes, Captain." He nodded and marched quickly away.

* * *

As it descended to the temple from above the trees, the Imperial shuttle was truly a graceful sight. Gull wings folded up. Landing gear lowered. The craft touched down softly in a small clearing. The boarding ramp opened.

Two black 'droids floated out making loud humming sounds. Flattened cylindrical heads with a red slots and an inverted triangular point made up their makeshift faces. The bodies were organically curved with only a torso and a pair of long arms with thin clamps for dexterity.

Flying into the temple entrance, brilliant white lights were projected along the walls and floors. Inside the main chamber, Puddra pointed to a hole in the floor. "Down there," he instructed.

Descending into the hole, the circle of white was brilliant in contrast to the round black brick wall. The illumination grew smaller and dimmer the deeper the recovery robots went. In a short time, they vanished from sight.

Two Imperial medics and a compliment of four Stormtroopers stopped near Puddra with a floating medical pod of grey metal and black cushioned interior. Lights on various control panels winked in red and white.

* * *

Rock crumbled under Vader's fingers. His shoulder burned. Both hips felt as if they were jammed upward, also burning.

Darth Vader felt the humming lightly vibrating through his battered body before he saw the brilliant white lights glaring off the dark walls, dropping down to him.

As the recovery 'droids closed the distance to him, Vader gazed down into the endless black pit. Nothing but darkness. He might have fallen right into the center of the planet before striking bottom.

Tentacle-like appendages wrapped around the Dark Lord's torso and took on the brunt of his weight. At long last, Vader's weary arm and leg were afforded rest. A second later, he was ascending. Back up to where he belonged.

* * *

What felt like an eternity later to Puddra might have been only a few minutes. The recovery 'droids returned to the surface.

A slight hissing sound came up out of the shaft. It was faint. Weak.

The black form of the Dark Lord of the Sith, supported by cables wrapped around his upper body extended from the 'droids' long arms, cleared the opening.

The Dark Lord's cape was shredded into short fingers of ripped cloth. Shoulder armor was missing. The leather suit was torn open all along his single remaining arm as well as at the left side of his torso and abdomen. His deactivate lightsaber hung at the right side of what was left of his utility belt. The lower part of the left leg was dented and bent to the side at an unnatural angle.

The control panel at the center of Vader's chest was crushed and partially ripped away. His breathing was a soft wheeze.

Darth Vader's head was tilted slightly forward. His protective helmet was dented and mangled at the left. The right side of his mask was cracked, the eyepiece shattered. An angry yellow eye rimmed with red glared out from under a curled brow.

"Lord Vader, thank the Force!" Puddra said. "I called for help as soon as -"

The sub officer stopped. His voice caught in his throat. Puddra's hands went up to his neck. He gasped, face contorted with pain. Slowly, he dropped to his knees. In seconds, he fell to his side, a lifeless heap on the temple floor.

"You have my undying gratitude, Puddra," Vader said in an almost garbled voice, "for allowing Skywalker and the girl to escape."

The 'droids supporting Vader lay him in the medical pod. A transparent shield sealed the top. The pair of medics activated controls. Oxygenated air was pumped into to pod. Quickly, the small group walked toward the temple's entrance.

* * *

Stark grey against the greenery of the trees, the parabolic antenna dish was aimed at the misty skies above. "There it is, kids," Halla said with a grin, leveling the hover skiff off to land.

"Oh, thank the Maker!" Threepio said. "At long last, we'll be able to leave this dreadful place, not that I'm looking forward to space travel." Artoo beeped and chirped.

Luke, Leia, and Halla walked down the landing plank. The old woman led them to a small brown bunker-like building. "You knew about this place and you didn't tell us?" the Princess asked.

"Our agreement was the Kaiburr Crystal first," Halla reminded her. "I told you I wouldn't do you wrong." Halla stopped at the entrance.

"Any chance we'll attract unwanted attention?" Luke asked.

"I should hope not," Halla said, pressing the control pad. "In all the time I've been comin' here, I never ran into anyone." The door slid up. They walked into a room filled with computer equipment and orbital readout graphics. "It's fully automated."

"I'm sure repair crews are sent out to keep everything up and running from time-to-time," Luke said.

"Probably when they notice something's gone down." Halla pointed to the ceiling. "That big gizmo out there pointin' at the sky - it's what would send the signal to shut down the mining colony if any big ships got too close to Mimban."

Leia studied one of the readouts. "Speaking of big ships, there's a Star Destroyer in orbit."

"Never you mind 'bout it, honey."

Artoo and Threepio caught up. Threepio swung his head around. "If only this station had an oil bath."

"Artoo, let's send us a message," Halla said. The little 'droid beeped and rolled over to Halla, plugging himself into a socket. His blue dome turned toward her, the single black eye gazing up as he chirped. "Now, you gotta code it so it don't go through any Imperial channels. Send it to Circarpous IV to Dillinger Du'Tarc." She turned to Luke and Leia. "He's a real big wig over there," Halla said with a grin. Then to Artoo, she said, "Tell him Temple Mama needs a pick up and bring in some heave artillery. And let him know I got these kids in tow."

Beeping, Artoo's arm turned in the computer socket. "Can you trust him?" Leia asked.

"After all we've been through, don't you trust me?" Halla asked. "I trust him with my life, sweetie. He's been my contact ever since I landed on this mud ball of a planet. Dillinger's never let me down."

Pulling from the socket, Artoo beeped. "Well done, Artoo," Threepio said.

Halla smiled at Luke and Leia. "Hope you're all packed, 'cause we'll be outta here real soon."

* * *

"Admiral," Captain Piett addressed Ozzel on the port side of the _Executor's_ bridge, "Lord Vader has been brought back aboard."

"Good. We will rejoin the fleet."

"Two ships, a freighter and a Circarpousian fighter, have entered Mimban's atmosphere. The freighter matches the description of the _Millennium Falcon_."

Admiral Ozzel paused and huffed, "Target them."

"And if they evade?"

"Put a contingent of fighters on standby, ready the tractor beam, and lay in a pursuit course the minute they return from the surface."

"Yes, sir." Piett hurried away to carry out the Admiral's orders.

* * *

The holographic image of Prime Minister V'Litizer wavered slightly as he spoke. "- have received word that Senator Organa is no longer in Imperial custody on Circarpous V." Mon Mothma smiled as she briefly glanced at Admiral Ackbar. "Presently, Captain Solo and one of our most trusted operatives are en route to collect the Senator and her escort."

"Thank the Force," Admiral Ackbar said.

"However, a small contingent of Imperial warships has entered the outer part of our system to join the blockade. We're tracking another in hyperspace."

"Have your forces evacuated, Prime Minister?" Mon Mothma asked.

"No. We will defend our system."

"Do you require naval assistance?" Admiral Ackbar asked.

"Not at this time. There is a Clone War era minefield near Circarpous XIV. Our military is making good use of it against the Empire's cruisers."

* * *

As the _Millennium Falcon_ flew low across the tops of the trees, Halla frowned. "What in ding blazes? Sure as shootin' that old scrap heap's not the ship I called for," she said.

Luke and the Princess smiled. "No," Leia beamed, "but it's the best looking sight I've seen since we crashed."

Threepio's arms spread wide. "Captain Solo and Chewbacca. Wonderful."

The _Falcon_ lowered, hovering just above the bunker. The entry ramp lowered. Han Solo appeared and waved them up. He took Princess Leia's hand and she embraced him. "I never thought I'd be so glad to see you."

"Hey, your worship. Who knew you could show real appreciation?"

"You're a real charmer, Han. Don't spoil the moment," Leia smirked and patted his shoulder. She marched up into the ship.

Han took Halla's hand next. She held the Kaiburr Crystal close to her hip. "Thank the Force and thank you, young man," she said, steadying herself. "Du'Tarc send you?"

"Han Solo, at your service," he smiled, arms spread.

Halla clicked her lips and snapped her head. "You'd think for someone of his prestige, he could do better in the transportation department."

"Hey," Solo said. Halla glanced back at the smuggler. "You're welcome."

Luke hefted himself aboard. "Good to see you Han," Luke shook his hand.

Han raised his eyebrows and pointed a thumb across his shoulder as the older woman stepped into he cargo area. "You got a thing for fossilized wizards, you know that?"

"Leia and I wouldn't have made it without her," Luke replied.

Artoo-Detoo rolled up the ramp next, beeping as he passed Han. See-Threepio shuffled up behind him. "Artoo and I express our deepest gratitude, Captain Solo. After our harrowing experiences on this planet, I daresay I've actually missed our adventures together."

Han came up the ramp and said, "Wish I could say the same, Goldenrod."

Threepio paused and his head snapped sideways a moment. "Well, really," he replied.

"Okay, Chewie, let's go," Han said when he entered the cockpit. The Wookie growled.

Hovering over the trees near the Falcon was Bexen's asteroid ship. A brilliant orange-red explosion flashed. The loud rattling that followed shook Han's ship.

"Hey, Bexen, you okay?" he called into the communicator.

"- Star Destroyer bombing us from orbit -" her voice broke through static. A second impactor struck her craft solidly, blowing the rocky body apart into large fragments.

"Bexen!" Han yelled. "Full power to the shields and get ready to get us the hell outta here, Chewie," he called as he ran back through the cargo area to the ramp. Luke and Leia quickly followed.

Han jumped off the ramp before it was fully down. "Bexen!" he called. He charged across the roof to a ladder and started down. The smoldering rock fragments had crushed trees and brush near the bunker. "Bexen!" Han leaped off the ladder half way to the ground and rolled, regaining his feet quickly as he scanned the fractured rocks. Luke and Leia started down the ladder.

To the far end, Solo spotted movement and heard a moan. Quickly he leaped into the debris and found the pilot laying face down in the bog. "Bexen! Bexen, sweetheart, are you all right."

"I've had better days," she groaned, rolling over. Han took one hand, Luke the other, and then pulled her up to her feet.

Bexen made an effort to stand straighter. She pulled her helmet off and walked forward. Her eyes grew wide when the landed on Princess Leia. "Senator Organa… I wish we'd been able to meet under better circumstances."

"Don't worry about that now. Let's get you to safety." She took her hand and they jogged back to the bunker.

Four T.I.E. fighters swooped over the tops of the trees. "Damn!" Han swore. Green bursts of laser fire pelted the building, sending up brilliants flare of orange-yellow sparks.

Holding one of the landing ramp's support struts, Han fired his pistol at one of the Imperial ships. "C'mon, c'mon!" he urged as Luke, Leia, and Bexen boarded. "Okay, Chewie, let's go!"

Han raced to the cockpit, throttling the _Falcon_ across the forest canopy. Leia and Bexen took seats behind Han and his Wookie co-pilot. Luke and Halla braced themselves against the entry frame.

"Han, the Empire's excavating dolovite from Mimban," Leia said.

"So I've heard," Han said spinning starboard over port to miss a hail of enemy fire.

"If you take out the main mine, you shut the whole thing down completely," Halla offered. "This old bucket got enough fire power?"

"How about a couple of proton torpedoes?" Han smirked.

"That oughta get their attention," Halla said. "Think you can go any faster?"

"The Falcon's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy," Han said. Halla rolled her eyes. "How do I find the mine without a map?"

"They got a homing beacon," the old woman said. "Set your communicator to oh-four-six-one."

The beeping filled the cabin. "Lock on, Chewie," Han said. Chewbacca growled.

Dipping through an opening in the trees, Han avoided the pursuing T.I.E. fighters for a few precious seconds before angling around two native ziggurats. One of the Imperial ships clipped a temple spire and spun down into the muddy jungle floor.

The forest ahead cleared, revealing the full mining instillation near the settlement. Huge metal lenses surrounded by blocky fingers of metal were pointed at clefts where the land was strip-mined. "Chewie, target the control center. Then drop the second torpedo into the mine." The Wookie growled several long syllables.

Firing wildly, the T.I.E. fighters crossed behind their prey, coming in low over the complex. The leader was hit by friendly fire from behind. The cockpit swelled in a cloud of red and the ship spun uncontrolled, impacting the mine wall.

With masterful precision, the first torpedo soared away from the banking freighter and exploded against the damaged temple complex, vaporizing stone and causing it to collapse completely, crushing the flanking landing platform and maintenance area under untold tons of smoldering ruin.

The second torpedo found its mark inside a tunnel where transports brought the metallic mineral to the surface from under rocky crevices carved out by the strip-mining. A thick column of blinding light rose up while slabs of layered rock fell inward in an expanding crater of fire and molten material, engulfing the outer rim of the settlement and a few kilometers of nearby trees.

"Nice shooting, buddy," Han grinned at Chewbacca. The Wookie made sounds resembling laughter. "Everybody strap in," Solo said. He thrust the ship forward at full throttle, taking a steep angle up and out of Mimban's atmosphere. "Chewie, keep 'er a good distance from that Command Ship." Chewbacca growled.

The _Executor_ turned, wrenching itself from Mimban's gravitational grip, forward batteries firing wildly at the Corellian cargo vessel. Han spun past one of the two moons, gaining a few precious moments of cover.


	15. Chapter 14

**XIV**

Seated alongside the inner hull of the _Falcon_ next to Luke, Halla gazed deeply into the Kaiburr Crystal's deep red glow. "Providin' this old bucket holds together, you think your friend'll get us to safety in one piece?" Halla asked. The _Falcon_ bucked.

Threepio sat behind the game table with Artoo near his left. "Oh dear," the protocol 'droid fretted, his arms raised.

"Well, it is the fastest ship in the fleet. And Han's never let us down yet," Luke said.

"Artoo, every one of my circuits is coming loose." Artoo beeped and chirped.

"What are you gonna do with old Halla, Luke boy, once we get to where ever you're takin' me?"

"With the crystal, I think you're best option is on a medical frigate."

Halla smiled softly. "You got a good sense for things, you know that?"

"Why do you say that?'

"'Cause I was in the medical field once. Long time ago."

"How did you end up on Mimban, Halla?"

She snorted and waved a hand in the air. "That's an ol' bedtime story I ain't never told no one."

"Well, I'm a good listener."

Halla's head dipped. She made a short, soft hum in her throat. "When I was just a lil' sprout, my mum could tell there was something different about me." Her blue eyes drifted up to meet Luke's. "One day, she saw me playing with a ball and making it hover in the air." Halla chuckled. "I think I scared her outta her wits.

"Years later, she met up with a Twi-lek woman named Zendina who was a would-be Jedi Knight." Halla raised an index finger. "Old Halla here," she pointed at her temple, "got it into her head to follow Zendina's footsteps because she fancied herself as a Jedi Knight, too." Halla folded her arms across her mid-section.

"Zendina wasn't all that strong," Halla shrugged, "just good enough to impress a naïve girl. But together we could do tricks that didn't look like simple parlor tricks. We could do supernatural things."

As her eyes clouded, Halla looked down. "We performed with a traveling circus for some years. Then I noticed Zendina had a lightsaber. A _real_ lightsaber." Halla returned her gaze to Luke. "She never said where she got it. It fascinated me to no end. I wanted one of my own, too." Halla pointed at Luke's chest, "What Zendina had," then pointed at her chest, "Halla had to have."

She reached behind her back, under her over cloak, and pulled a lightsaber hilt into the open, holding its silvery shaft up for Luke to see.

Staring across the cargo area, Halla continued, "I used to turn that saber on and stare into the pink blade for the longest time." Slowly, she faced Luke again. "I thought I could hear it telling me there was something more I should be doing with myself. Something more I should go after in my life. For some greater good. Of course, Zendina was gracious enough to teach me basic combat techniques. I was impressed… No. Enamored by her in every way. Then, the unimaginable happened."

Halla's face darkened. Her head lowered. She swallowed hard. "One night after a show, there was a thunderstorm. Zendina was attacked and killed by someone very powerful. Someone with a red blade." She looked grimly at Luke. "Someone not unlike your Vader. She was cut down. Her lightsaber fell under the wagon we used as a dressing room. I grabbed it and ran, fearing for my life. If someone wanted Zendina dead, surely, they must want me dead, too. I hightailed it outta there on the first transport ship off-planet and jumped on a different ship on a dozen different worlds. I must've masked my trail pretty good 'cause I never saw hide or hair of anyone like that ever again.

"After that ordeal, I learned to suppress my abilities and decided to become what folks would call respectable. I studied in the medical field and came to Mimban to do medicinal research. Mimban had an abundance of plants and I had a brain for exploring and finding things. In my research, I learned the story of the Kaiburr Crystal. All of a sudden, everything came back to me. Zendina. The Force. Everything I'd tried to forget. All of it. Almost like it was full circle.

"So, I set out to find it. I guess I wanted to do something great with myself. I wanted to impress Zendina 'stead of just bein' in her shadow. I couldn't save her before. But, I felt like I could make her proud of me." Halla patted Luke's leg.

Luke smiled. "Halla, in your own way, you've been a good teacher. I'm proud of you."

Halla smiled and chuckled. "Thanks, Luke boy. I'm touched. Really." She wiped her right eye. "Now look at what you've done. I'm all misty eyed." Luke placed his arm across her shoulder.

* * *

Black robes swirling behind him, Darth Vader, outfitted with new armor and a restored right arm, swept across the _Executor's_ command deck to the forward bridge. He paused next to Admiral Ozzel. "Give me a status report, Admiral," the deep voice of the angry Dark Lord rumbled.

"We are in pursuit of the _Millennium Falcon_ , my lord, on a trajectory that will take us to Circarpous XIV. They destroyed the mining facility on Circarpous V."

"Is it a rebel stronghold?"

"That is unknown. There is no sign of the Rebel Fleet. Our advance squadrons have engaged Circarpousian ships in battle near an abandoned mine field."

"Have we suffered any casualties?"

"We lost one destroyer deployed by Governor Essada. Additional cruisers -"

"Essada is here?" Vader cut in. He didn't wait for Ozzel to answer. "Recall our fighters." The Dark Lord stalked across the bridge to the holographic communications relay. "Contact Governor Essada immediately," he said, placing his thumbs in his utility belt.

Moments later, Essada's bloated form flickered before the Dark Lord of the Sith. "Governor, your place is on Gyndine. Explain to me what you're doing here."

"I came to secure the cooperation of this system with the Empire," the Governor said.

"Was a full-scale battle your intended result? You have overstepped yourself, Governor. I want these rebels captured alive."

"Then you will be pleased to hear an Interdictor will arrive momentarily," Essada smiled. "I will block them off and you may tractor them in. Transmission ends." Essada's form dissolved into thin air.

Darth Vader spun on his heel and returned to his place at the forward view ports. In the distance beyond the bulk of his Star Destroyer, he saw flashes of light all around the Imperial Fleet.

 _Sky… walk… er…_

* * *

Luke tensed, sitting up straight. "What is it, boy?" Halla asked.

"Master Luke, are you quiet all right?" Threepio asked.

"Vader's near. He's after us." Luke stood, his body cold. Shaking. "After me." Luke looked at the older woman. "I can't face him again so soon. I won't survive this time."

"Oh no. Not again. This is too terrifying." Threepio's eyes dimmed and his head slumped. Artoo beeped erratically.

"No need to be afraid." Halla stood. She placed a hand on his shoulder blade, holding the crystal in her free hand. "We've got more than the Force on our side this time," she said.

* * *

The _Millennium Falcon_ soared back into the heat of battle, rocked by the first nearby blasts of the _Executor_ in hot pursuit as the T.I.E. fighters thinned, retreating to the other Imperial ships. "Bexen, I'm not gonna be able to get you to XIV with a Star Destroyer on my tail," Han said as he assessed the situation. "You better signal some of your ships to rendezvous with the Rebel Fleet."

Turning to a side panel, Bexen quickly transmitted a coded message. "Okay," she said. "Done."

"Han, there's another ship coming in," Leia pointed off to his right. The _Nullifier_ was on a direct course to cut them off.

"All right, Chewie, it's time to get outta here." Chewbacca growled. Han pulled on a lever. The stars beyond the Falcon's cockpit turned into lines and then began flashing and flickering with wild colorful patches of shimmering pink, white, and blue.

"Han, what's wrong?" Leia asked.

"Something's pulling us back," he said. They were violently jolted into real space. The stars returned to normal and the _Falcon_ was still surrounded by Imperials. A second later, another Star Destroyer leaped into view next to the Vigil-Class Corvette. It had four domes on its dorsal and ventral surfaces.

"Great," Han said. "That's why we can't make the jump to hyperspace."

"What is it?" Bexen asked.

"A Star Destroyer that projects a gravity well," Leia said. "As long as it's around, we'll never get away."

"How's our chance for escape looking?" Luke asked as he came up behind Leia and Bexen.

"Worse than a broke gambler at _The Wheel_ , kid," Han said. "We got a gravity well projector and a minefield. Sure wish I'd saved a torpedo. I vote for the minefield."

Luke's eyes sparkled.

* * *

Standing on the bridge of the _Nullifier_ , Governor Essada smiled as he rubbed the underside of his chin with the back of his right hand. His left arm was folded over his expansive mid-section. _There's no escape, Senator Organa_ , he thought.

* * *

Halla and Luke held the Kaiburr Crystal in all four of their collective hands. The deep red glow was a brilliant crimson. Their eyes were closed and they relaxed, deep in concentration. Ripples of energy coursed through their bodies and manipulated the Force.

Artoo hooted softly.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Executor_ , a shiver went up Darth Vader's spine. He felt the stirring in the Force. His pulse and breathing quickened. "How soon until they're in range of the tractor beam?" he asked.

"Less than a minute, sir," came the reply from Captain Piett.

Darth Vader stared out at the _Millennium Falcon_.

 _Sky… walk… er…_

* * *

With their combined efforts, Luke and Halla felt the entire space surrounding the Imperial fleet. They wrapped their minds around several of the mines and shoved them toward the Interdictor.

Unaware of the danger, the massive vessel never moved. The spinney cylinders drifted into its starboard hull and detonated, blasting holes right through the destroyer's bulk. Multiple explosions ripped the wedge-shaped cruiser apart in cascades of brilliant orange-yellow.

* * *

"Get us out of here!" Essada yelled as a section of the crumbling Interdictor drifted toward his ship. He held up his right arm, bending in the opposite direction.

A large segment from the port side slammed into the _Nullifier_. Essada was thrown to the deck. The lights went out. Bulkheads collapsed and cracks formed in the view ports, allowing the air inside to escape into the vacuum of space.

The collision knocked out the _Nullifier's_ engines and the running lights completely dimmed. Essada slowly stood, leaning on part of the fallen framework of his vessel. His uniform was torn along the right, his forehead was bleeding, and he could barely put any weight on his right leg. "Re-route all emergency power to send out a distress call," he shouted.

* * *

The glow from the Kaiburr Crystal subsided, returning to its neutral dark red. Luke and Halla exhaled, opening their eyes. They smiled at each other.

Chirping happily, Artoo bumped into his companion. Threepio's eyes glowed and he shook his head. "Please tell me it's over." Artoo let off a long string of sounds that sounded like a laugh. "Helpless? What do you mean I'm helpless? Artoo-Detoo, I've got a good mind to turn your hollow innards into a mynock nest."

* * *

Half of Han's face was twisted into a grin as he watched the Interdictor shatter before his eyes. "Talk about wild luck." Chewbacca growled long syllables. "Okay, boys and girls, time to leave this party behind."

Han pulled the lever a second time. Star points stretched into long lines around the ship as the _Millennium Falcon_ leaped into hyperspace.

* * *

Standing before his view port, had Lord Vader the ability to will his body onto the _Millennium Falcon_ in that instant, he would have. As the ship slipped into the furthest reaches of the stars, he took a step forward as if to leap through the view port and give chase himself. He paused for a long moment, his body tingling. Then he took a labored breath. "Well done, young Skywalker," the Dark Lord said softly.

"Lord Vader, we're receiving an emergency transmission from the _Nullifier_ ," Captain Piett said.

The Dark Lord returned to the holographic projector where the disheveled Governor Essada's image rippled sideways several times. "- ife support failing… - unable to make repairs… - need immediate assistance."

"Since you so wisely made allies of the Circarpousians, Governor, perhaps they will be willing to assist you. Transmission ends." Darth Vader walked away from Essada's fading image and stopped before another Imperial officer near the bulkhead. "Admiral Ozzel, why wasn't the fleet repositioned sooner?"

"My lord, there was no clear indication that any of the activity was of a rebel nature. I felt it more important to await your return from the planet's surface."

"I am genuinely touched by your concern for my safety, Admiral, as misplaced as it is. Now I have a clear indication for you," Vader said, pointing his finger at Ozzel. "You will do well to not disappoint me again." The towering figure in black hurriedly walked away, leaving the Admiral to momentarily reach for his throat.


	16. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Kneeling before his private holographic communications projector, Darth Vader bowed his head before the wavering apparition of the Emperor. "You survived your encounter with the young rebel, Lord Vader," his voice vibrated across the gleaming deck.

"Yes, my master."

"Good. Very good," the Emperor spoke slowly. He paused. "I sense great anger within you."

Vader remained silent.

"Is your anger directed at me?"

"No, my master," the Dark Lord lied.

"Where then?"

 _Too many unknown variables_ , Vader thought. He needed answers. Answers the Emperor would not give him. He also needed to redirect his anger with a quick cover. "The rebels destroyed the mining facility on Circarpous V."

The Emperor chuckled. "It is of little concern. They don't yet know what the mineral is being used for."

"What is thy bidding?"

"Continue to hunt them down. This was merely the first step in a plan calculated to ensnare the Rebellion in a trap."

Darth Vader lowered his head. "As you wish."

* * *

Following a debriefing with Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar; Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Bexen, Halla, Threepio, and Artoo stood near a large view port aboard a Mon Calamari cruiser. The Rebel Fleet drifted through a far corner of the galaxy.

Halla held the Kaiburr Crystal against her stomach. "We did pretty good back there, Luke boy," she said.

"We sure did," Luke agreed.

"I think your Obi-Wan would be proud of you." Luke simply nodded.

Princess Leia smiled at Bexen. "Once the Empire has cleared out of the system, I'd be more than happy to meet with the Circarpous underground."

"I know it will boost their morale greatly," Bexen said. "They truly admire you and everything you stand for."

"And you, Captain Solo," Leia turned to Han. "You did pretty well convincing everyone to join The Alliance. You just might make a good diplomat yet." Chewbacca growled and laughed.

"Not likely, sweetheart," Han said. He smiled and put an arm around Leia's shoulder. They all gazed into the Rebel Fleet as it floated between the stars.


End file.
